Liquid Crystal Photonics

Dear Colleagues,

The inherent anisotropy and excellent adjustability to external stimuli that liquid crystals (LCs) possess enable a multi-dimensional manipulation of light, including light in the space domain, frequency domain and time domain. This unique property promotes the rapid progression of both basic research and related photonic applications. LC photonics is a booming topic in the digital age, and plays increasingly important roles in information displays, phase modulation devices, adaptive optics, planar diffractive optics and light-driven actuators. Liquid crystal photonics includes but is not limited to the following fields:

• New liquid crystal materials and phases (ferroelectric, anti-ferroelectric, cholesteric liquid crystals, blue phases, twist bend phases and ferroelectric nematic phases, etc.);
• Nature-inspired liquid crystal molecules;
• Defects, self-assembly and self-organization;
• Stimuli-responsive liquid crystals and light-driven actuators;
• Photon-induced phase transformation;
• Alignment technology (photo-alignment, micro-rubbing and nano-structured film);
• Information displays (flat panel displays, projectors, augmented and virtual realities, etc.);
• Phase modulation devices and adaptive optics (spatial light modulators, beam deflectors, lenses, filters and LiDAR, etc.);
• Liquid crystal lasers;
• Liquid crystal geometric phase optics and planar diffractive optics;
• LC antenna and LC embedded meta-surfaces, meta-devices;
• Liquid crystal nonlinear optics;
• LC-based topological photonics;
• LC-enabled quantum optics, waveguide and communications;
• LCs in lighting, 3D integral imaging and holography application;
• Smart windows and anti-counterfeiting.

This Topic aims to collect the results of research in relevant areas.

The submission of papers within those areas with a strong connection to optics, photonics, materials, applied physics and engineering is strongly encouraged.

Prof. Dr. Wei Hu
Prof. Dr. Zhigang Zheng
Topic Editors