Small-angle light scattering from polymer-dispersed liquid-crystal films

Experimental results and theoretical model to describe angular dependence of light scattering by monolayer of nematic droplets

“…To consider the angular distribution of light scattered by the monolayer, we use the interference approximation [12,13]. For the far-field observation point determined by the radius-vector R, for the vv-and vhcomponents of the intensity of incoherently (diffusely) scattered light, it is possible to write:…”

Light passage through the polymer film of liquid crystal droplets with modified boundary conditions

“…In the interference approximation [9,16,17], for the parallel (I vv ) and perpendicular (I vh ) plane of polarization of the incident radiation intensity components of incoherently (diffusely) scattered light, we obtain:…”

“…is the normalization constant, A is the area of the test section of the sample, E i is the incident wave amplitude; R is the distance from the origin to the point of observation, f vv (θ s ,φ s ) and f vh (θ s ,φ s ) are the vv-and vh-components of the vector amplitude function scattering in the direction of the wave vector of the scattered wave k s = (kcosθ s , ksinθ s cosφ s , ksinθ s sinφ s ), S(θ s ) is the structure factor of the monolayer [17], θ s and φ s are the polar and azimuthal scattering angles. For a statistically isotropic ensemble of droplets with the shape of spheres or oblate spheroids, it does not depend on the azimuthal angle φ s .…”

“…It is based on the amplitude-phase screen model, interference approximation of multiple wave scattering [9,16,17], and anomalous diffraction approximation to describe scattering of radiation by a single droplet. Numerical analysis of coherent transmission coefficients and scattered intensities were performed for monolayers of spherical droplets of nematic liquid crystals with inhomogeneous boundary conditions [18][19][20].…”