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arXiv · 2609.30673

Realignment of ferroelectric nematic by photoinduced electric field

Abstract

Liquid crystal displays (LCDs) employ thin pixels of a paraelectric nematic, confined between two glass plates with transparent indium tin oxide (ITO) electrodes. A voltage applied to the electrodes realigns the molecules, changing the optical appearance of the pixel. Here we demonstrate that a similar molecular realignment can be triggered by low-power light irradiation when the paraelectric nematic in the cell with ITO electrodes is replaced with a ferroelectric nematic (NF). Irradiation creates an intrinsic electric field that is strong enough to realign the NF but too weak to affect the paraelectric nematic. The extraordinary sensitivity of the ITO/NF pair to light irradiation creates a platform for optical control of ferroelectric polarization and applications in photonics, sensing, smart windows, and beyond.

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Sathyanarayana Paladugu, Oleksandr Kurochkin, Ruslan Kravchuk, Mykola Kravets, Volodymyr Sashuk, Bijaya Basnet Vassili G. Nazarenko, Sergij V. Shiyanovskii, Oleg D. Lavrentovich. 2026-09-25. Realignment of ferroelectric nematic by photoinduced electric field. https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.30673

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