Fluorescence confocal polarizing microscopy: Imaging liquid crystal director fields in three dimensions

Conventional polarizing microscopy allows only information from two dimensi ons, on account of optical integration along the path of light propagation. Real three-dimensional imaging of orientational order has now become possi ble with fluorescence confocal polarizing microscopy. This technique provid es a useful tool in the visualization of director fields in liquid crystal cells, as schematically shown in the picture, and will be of great potentia l in the study of director distributions in defect structures of anisotropi c fluids.