THURSDAY, Nov. 1, 12 p.m. 11th floor Gamov Tower
Ivan I. Smalyukh
University of Colorado at Boulder
Laser-controlled molecular orientation patterns & their imaging with CARS microscopy
Focused laser beams allow for a non-contact control of matter that can be applied to objects as diverse as atoms, biological molecules, and living cells. I will discuss their use for “shaping” of multi-stable molecular orientation patterns in chiral liquid crystals. Starting from the underpinning physics phenomena, I will demonstrate that a focused beam can induce both axially-symmetric and linear localized structures with well-defined molecular orientation patterns. This allows for producing, for example, optically-controlled periodic crystal lattices on the scales ranging from hundreds of nanometers to hundreds of microns. Fine structure of these molecular orientation patterns is revealed by coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) polarized microscopy [1]. I will conclude with an overview of potential applications. [1] A. Kachynski, A. Kuzmin, P. Prasad, & I. Smalyukh, APL 91, 151905 (2007)