Liquid Crystals: From Fundamentals to Applications (SC790)

Course Details

This course will provide an introduction to the fundamental properties of liquid crystals and liquid crystal devices, as well as to their widespread technological applications. The main goal is to enable the engineers, students, and researchers working at the forefront of optics, engineering, and materials science to better understand and more successfully utilize liquid crystals and liquid crystal devices in their own applications. Many practical and useful examples are included throughout the course, such as applications in displays, beam steering, telecommunications, tunable photonic crystals, nano-science, biodetection, and drug delivery. You will become fluent with what liquid crystals are and how to use them, and will receive hands-on training on how to fabricate a liquid crystal device.

Learning Outcomes

This course will enable you to:

• acquire essential basic knowledge of liquid crystals and liquid crystal devices
• optimize the performance of devices such as liquid crystal spatial light modulators
• know the biological functions and nanotechnological applications of liquid crystals
• design new applications utilizing liquid crystals and liquid crystal devices
• obtain hands-on experience to fabricate a liquid crystal device

Intended Audience

This material is intended for anyone who is interested in learning the fundamentals and applications of liquid crystals, including students, postdoctoral fellows, and engineers. Those who either build liquid crystal devices, or use them will find this course valuable.

Instructor

Ivan I. Smalyukh is currently an Assistant Professor at the Department of Physics and the Liquid Crystal Center at the University of Colorado at Boulder. He has been involved in liquid crystal research for 17 years, has over 40 refereed publications and two chapters in books, and has been teaching graduate courses on liquid crystal physics and applications. He has chaired three International conferences/workshops on optics and photonics of liquid crystals and has been an Invited and Plenary speaker at numerous conferences.