The optical bounce effect of the chiral-homeotropic cell

Abstract

We examined the dynamic response of the chiral-homeotropic liquid crystal cell by measuring the optical transmittance. It was found that the well-known optical bounce phenomenon which was originally found in the twist nematic cells, also appears in the chiral-homeotropic cells. The field induced backflow causes this optical bounce and it may influence the dynamic response of the cell. In this paper, we will present the experimental data and use a simple model based on Erickson-Leslie-Parodi theory to explain the optical bounce phenomenon appearing in the homeotropic to planar state transition.