Achromatic linear polarization rotators by tandem twisted nematic liquid crystal cells

• Published in: Scientific reports Vol. 8; no. 1; pp. 13691 - 13
• Main Authors: Chung, Te-Yuan, Tsai, Min-Cheng, Liu, Cheng-Kai, Li, Jia-Hao, Cheng, Ko-Ting
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 12.09.2018; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 639/624/1075/146; 639/624/399/919; Degree Of Linear Polarization (DoLP); Humanities and Social Sciences; Jones Calculus; Light; multidisciplinary; Optics; Photonics; Polarization; Polarization Rotation Angle; Polarization State Analyzer; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Twisted Nematic Liquid Crystal Cell; Twisted Nematic Liquid Crystal Cell; Polarization State Analyzer; Jones Calculus; Polarization Rotation Angle; Degree Of Linear Polarization (DoLP)
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-32168-w

An achromatic linear polarization rotator based on a tandem-2ϕ-twisted nematic liquid crystal cell (tandem-2ϕ-TNLC cell, where 2ϕ represents the total twisted angle) is theoretically analyzed and experimentally demonstrated. The tandem-2ϕ-TNLC cell comprises two conventional ϕ-TNLC cells with the required arrangement that the LC director close to the last layer of the first ϕ-TNLC cell should be perpendicular to that close to the first layer of the second ϕ-TNLC cell. With such a simple combination, the TNLC performances are considerably improved. According to the experimental results and theoretical analyses by Jones Calculus, the tandem-2ϕ-TNLC polarization rotator with suitable parameters is achromatic and insensitive to the polarization plane of incident light. Such properties provide these polarization rotators with potential for practical applications.