Linear optical responses of sculptured nematic thin films (SNTFs)

The concept of sculptured nematic thin films (SNTPs) is formalized through an inclination function that describes the SNTF morphology. A 4 × 4 matrix ordinary differential equation (MODE) for the propagation of electromagnetic waves in a SNTF is set up. Propagation in the morphologically significant plane is shown to be described through two 2 × 2 MODEs. Of these two, one can be solved analytically but it is sensitive neither to the inhomogeneity nor to the anisotropy of the SNTF. The other 2 × 2 MODE has to be solved numerically, for which purpose a piecewiseuniform inclination approximation is used here; and the reflection and the transmission of parallel-polarized plane waves turn out to be sensitive to the SNTF morphology.