Rotation of a liquid crystal by the Casimir torque

David A. T. Somers and Jeremy N. Munday
Phys. Rev. A 91, 032520 – Published 30 March 2015

Abstract

We present a calculation of the Casimir torque acting on a liquid crystal near a birefringent crystal. In this system, a liquid crystal bulk is uniformly aligned at one surface and is twisted at the other surface by a birefringent crystal, e.g., barium titanate. The liquid crystal is separated from the solid crystal by an isotropic, transparent material such as SiO2. By varying the thickness of the deposited layer, we can observe the effect of retardation on the torque (which differentiates it from the close-range van der Waals torque). We find that a barium titanate slab would cause 5CB (4cyano4pentylbiphenyl) liquid crystal to rotate by 10 through its bulk when separated by 35 nm of SiO2. The optical technique for measuring this twist is also outlined.

  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Received 6 January 2015

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.91.032520

©2015 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

David A. T. Somers1,2 and Jeremy N. Munday2,3

  • 1Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20740, USA
  • 2Institute for Research in Electronics and Applied Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20740, USA
  • 3Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20740, USA

Article Text (Subscription Required)

Click to Expand

References (Subscription Required)

Click to Expand
Issue

Vol. 91, Iss. 3 — March 2015

Reuse & Permissions
Access Options
Author publication services for translation and copyediting assistance advertisement

Authorization Required


×
×

Images

×

Sign up to receive regular email alerts from Physical Review A

Log In

Cancel
×

Search


Article Lookup

Paste a citation or DOI

Enter a citation
×