Investigation of the influence of external electric field on the anisotropy of nematic liquid crystals by X-Ray interferometry

Abstract

The influence of external electric field on the anisotropy of a layer of nematic liquid crystal (NLC) was investigated by means of X-Ray interferometric method. It was shown that in Xray range of the spectrum NLC E7 is a positive anisotropic medium. The decrements of a layer of NLC subjected to the electric field were calculated. As a result of reorientation of NLC molecules perpendicular to the cell substrate, the decrements prove equal for cases when the optical axis of a sample was initially perpendicular or parallel to the X-ray beam polarization vector.