Electrooptic despeckler based on helix-free ferroelectric liquid crystal

In an experimental sample of a despeckler, consisting of an electrooptic cell with a 20-mm-thick helix-free liquid ferroelectric, to which an electric field with a strength of ~3V μm^-1 and a frequency of 2 kHz is applied, we obtained spatially nonuniform phase modulation of a laser beam with a value exceeding π. The effect allows the implementation of speckle noise suppression with an efficiency of 10.7 dB.