The orientation control of soft matter to create a large area single domain is one of the most exciting research topics in materials science. Recently, this effort has been extended to fabricate two- or three-dimensional structures for electro-optical applications. Here, we create periodic zigzag structures in liquid crystals (LCs) using a combination of surface treatment and thermal annealing....

We demonstrate how to design thin-film multilayer structures that separate multiple wavelength channels with a single stack by spatial dispersion, thus allowing compact manufacturable wavelength multiplexers and demultiplexers and possibly beam-steering or dispersion-control devices. We discuss four types of structure--periodic one-dimensional photonic crystal superprism structures, double-chir...

We explore periodic structures of smectic-C (SmC) liquid crystals, induced optically by a polarization grating. The studied cells contain a passive surface of rubbed polyimide and an active photosensitive substrate of azo-dye doped polyimide. In a nematic phase the director field can be periodic independent of the angle between the grating vector and the rubbing direction. In the SmA phase peri...

This paper contains a self-contained brief presentation of the scattering theory for periodic structures. Its main result is a theorem (the Modified Rayleigh Conjecture, or MRC), which gives a rigorous foundation for a numerical method for solving the direct scattering problem for periodic structures. A numerical example illustrating the procedure is presented.

In this paper we describe recent developments in the application of mathematical and computational techniques to problems in di ractive optics, particularly to problems involving spatially periodic structures (gratings). Many of the techniques are also applicable to other scattering problems involving periodic structures. We focus on variational techniques, nite element approximations, inverse ...

[1] Mirror mode waves are commonly observed in planetary magnetosheaths. Their magnetic signatures are often periodic but occasionally appear as intermittent increases of field magnitude (peaks) or as intermittent decreases (dips). We define quantitative mirror structure identification criteria and statistically analyze the distributions of the various forms. A survey of all the relevant magnet...