Nonlinear Optical Properties of Hibrid Aligned Nematics

Abstract

We have studied the nonlinear optical behavior of Hibrid Nematic Liquid Crystals for light impinging on the sample at normal incidence. The results of the theory which takes into account the anchoring energy on the boundaries are reviewed. The experimental observation of the predicted effects i s also reported and the two more important properties are demonstrated: absence of a threshold for the onset of the nonlinear response and inhancement of the nonlinearity at low laser intensity in comparison with hometropically aligned samples.