Light scattering from nematic liquid crystal waveguides

The light scattering properties of nematic liquid crystal thin−film waveguides are studied both theoretically and experimentally. A Green’s function analysis of the depolarized light scattering induced by thermal fluctuations in the average molecular alignment is presented and it is shown that the power distribution of scattered light is affected by the presence of waveguide boundaries. Scattering coefficients for scattering out of the guide and for mode conversion are derived and predict substantial propagation losses in this type of guide (∼28 dB/cm). The calculations are experimentally verified and predicted structure in the scattered power distribution is clearly seen.