D G Tyson and B R Jennings 1991 J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. 24 645 doi:10.1088/0022-3727/24/5/001
D G Tyson and B R Jennings
Show affiliationsA review is made of novel attempts to date at measuring the optical Kerr effect in liquids and liquid crystals. In the conventional Kerr effect, an applied electric field induces molecular orientation which is accompanied by birefringence in a fluid composed of anisotropic molecules. In the optical Kerr effect (OKE) the high-frequency electric field of a laser beam is the inducing mechanism. The phenomenon is thus an optically induced optical effect (an optico-optical phenomenon). It has potential as a means of measuring the optical polarizability of molecules which itself is useful for determining molecular bonding structures. In addition, the phenomenon can become the basis of optically activated switching mechanisms currently of interest in optoelectronics and optical computing. This review is a survey of the arrangements used hitherto for the measurement of this novel phenomenon using nanosecond laser pulses. The purpose of the review is to provide a basis for others who wish to measure and ultimately utilize the effect.
42.65.Hw Phase conjugation; photorefractive and Kerr effects
42.62.Eh Metrological applications; optical frequency synthesizers for precision spectroscopy
42.65.Pc Optical bistability, multistability, and switching, including local field effects
61.30.Gd Orientational order of liquid crystals; electric and magnetic field effects on order
Soft matter, liquids and polymers
Issue 5 (14 May 1991)
D G Tyson and B R Jennings 1991 J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. 24 645
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