Valyukh S. Elastic light interaction with a nonuniform chiral anisotropic medium.

It is studied elastic light interaction with an uniform chiral anisotropic medium. As a subject of study was took a chiral liquid crystal. The simple Jones matrix technique was applied for finding intensity of oblique incident light that passes through a plate of a uniaxis uniform medium that later was extended to general twisted nematic liquid crystal medium. Results of calculations were compared with Berreman 4x4 matrix technique. It was shown the way of finding of contrast viewing characteristics of nematic liquid-crystal displays. The obtained results are compared with experimental data. Analytical expression for light transmission of general twisted nematic liquid crystal displays at oblique incidence is obtained by using extended Jones matrix method. The cholesteric liquid crystal medium is considered as an ensemble of domains, each of which possesses properties of an ideal helicoidal structure with specific orientation and pitch. Using the function of domain distribution, it was studied the dependencies of luminance and contrast ratio of reflective cholesteric liquid crystal displays on the direction, divergence and spectrum of the illuminating light. A procedure of finding the optimal illumination conditions taking into account the spectral sensitivity of human eye is proposed. A new method for calculation of light propagation in an inhomogeneous anisotropic media, where optical properties may vary along three major axis.