Abstract:
The paper describes a three-electrode liquid crystal cell with a floating electrode isolated from the liquid crystal layer. It has been experimentally shown that in constant electric fields, the reorientation of a nematic liquid crystal begins in the vicinity of the anode, while the boundary between the initial and reoriented regions of the liquid crystal remains unblurred in a wide voltage range. The region of the reoriented liquid crystal exhibits lens-like properties with cylindrical symmetry, and the location of this region depends linearly on the magnitude of the voltage. The maximum deviation of the laser beam fragments, which are the result of lens properties and interference, can vary in the range of at least a couple of tens of degrees from the original direction, demonstrating a linear dependence on the applied voltage. The influence of charge processes and cell prehistory on the behavior of the liquid crystal reorientation region is discussed.
