Light wave propagation in periodic tilted liquid crystal structures: a periodic beam propagation method

Periodically deformed liquid crystal profiles are commonly encountered eith er spontaneously under the influence of an external excitation, or intentio nally, with the introduction of relief type gratings on the supporting surf aces. These types of periodicity are often characterized by a pitch around one micron or less. As the pitch is directly comparable to the optical wave length, it is necessary to develop rigorous numerical methods to predict li ght wave propagation within such structures. A wide angle periodic beam pro pagation method (BPM) is proposed for the simulation of light propagation i n purely bend/splay periodic director deformations. A common occurrence of this type of deformation is encountered in smectic A materials under the He lfrich effect. More importantly, bistable nematic cells with zenithal defor mation have been developed for interesting display applications. Both afore mentioned deformations are examined to verify the applicability of the prop osed periodic BPM.