2C06 Numerical calculation of confocal microscope images of cholesteric blue phases

Abstract

We calculate the confocal microscope images of cholesteric blue phases using the combination of plane-wave expansions and finite-difference discretizations in solving the Maxwell equations for light propagation and reflection. Although the confocal images along the depth direction are not simple repetitions along the depth direction, for a BP I sample of lattice spacing α whose [110] plane is parallel to the cell surface, the variations of the intensity of confocal images along the depth direction exhibit oscillations whose periodicity is approximately equal to √<2>α that agrees with that of blue phase ordering.