English

Photonic band structure of highly deformable, self-assembling systems

Soft Condensed Matter 2009-11-07 v1

Abstract

We calculate the photonic band structure at normal incidence of highly deformable, self-assembling systems - cholesteric elastomers subjected to external stress. Cholesterics display brilliant reflection and lasing owing to gaps in their photonic band structure. The band structure of cholesteric elastomers varies sensitively with strain, showing new gaps opening up and shifting in frequency. A novel prediction of a total band gap is made, and is expected to occur in the vicinity of the previously observed de Vries bandgap, which is only for one polarisation.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.cond-mat/0107030,
  title  = {Photonic band structure of highly deformable, self-assembling systems},
  author = {Peter A. Bermel and Mark Warner},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:cond-mat/0107030},
  year   = {2009}
}
R2 v1 2026-07-22T10:24:00.225Z