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 . 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 liquid crystal to rotate by through its bulk when separated by 35 nm of . The optical technique for measuring this twist is also outlined.
- Received 6 January 2015
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.91.032520
©2015 American Physical Society