Investigation into the effects of optical tilt angle profile, biaxiality and dispersion of the optic axis on the calculation of reflection spectra of SmC* liquid crystal films

Comparisons are made between SmC* liquid crystal free-standing film selective reflection spectra generated using a Berreman 4 x 4 Matrix technique when biaxiality, dispersion of the optic axis and an optical tilt angle profile are included in the calculations. The relative importance of these physical properties to the profile of the selective reflection spectrum is assessed. It is shown that dispersion of the optic axis has a negligible effect on the reflection spectrum, while the inclusion of a combination of biaxiality and a variable tilt angle profile produce spectra that are altered in a way that might produce improved fits to experimental data.