Broadband coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (BB-CARS) spectroscopy and microscopy for 3D characterization of molecular orientations in nematic liquid crystals
Abstract
Broadband coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (BB-CARS) is utilized for the visualization of the director orientation in a 5CB liquid crystal (LC). The broad span of the Stokes pulse generated from a photonic crystal fiber allows for the simultaneous detection of multiple molecular vibrations within the fingerprint region of the LC. We show that when combined with polarization microscopy, BB-CARS can be a promising tool for fast 3D characterization of the polarization dependence of LC.