Circular components, chiral nematics

F re 3. Schematic diagram of selective reflection from a right-handed chiral nematic planar texture for A= inside the liquid ciystal. The linearly polarized input light may be considered as counter-propagating right-handed (RH) and left-handed (LH) circular components. The RH component in which the E field matches the sense of the helicoidal structure is back reflected due to director fluctuations, whilst the LH component is almost totally transmitted. By convention, the handedness is delined in terms of the progression of the E field vector in time relative to the observer. The RH rotating wave therefore has the same spatial structure as the chiral nematic at any time. 

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