Stimulated scattering of light in the mesophase of a smectic liquid crystal

A theoretical analysis is made of the stimulated scattering of light, i.e., of the amplification of a weak optical field shifted in frequency relative to a monochromatic strong field, in the mesophase of a smectic $C$ liquid crystal. Two stimulated scattering mechanisms are discussed: transient rotation of the $C$ director and transient heating of a weakly absorbing smectic $C$ liquid crystal by the interfering fields, accompanied by a thermally induced change in the angle of inclination of the molecular axes relative to the smectic layers. A calculation of the gains gives very promising estimates of the possibility of occurrence of both types of stimulted scattering in smectic $C$ liquid crystals. The possibility of wavefront reversal due to four-wave and stimulated scattering nonlinearities in such crystals are discussed.