NOVEL GLASS-FORMING FERROELECTRIC LIQUID-CRYSTAL MATERIAL OF HIGH 2ND-ORDER NONLINEARITY

We report on a novel ferroelectric liquid-crystal material with an exc eptionally large and stable nonlinear optical response. The material s hows a phase transition from the SmC mesophase to the glassy state ne ar room temperature. This allowed us to state-freeze a stable nonlinea r optically active configuration close to room temperature at 10-degre es-C for one day. The stored orientations can easily be forced to rela x back by heating slightly above the glass-transition temperature. The material and the freezing process have been characterized in detail b y analyzing the frequency-doubling process of the fundamental radiatio n of a Nd:YAG laser in the liquid crystal. Under favourable conditions , we obtained second-order susceptibilities as large as chi(zzz) = 0.5 pm/V.