The origins of liquid-crystal birefringence were investigated. Theory on the quantitative birefringence dispersions of liquid crystals was developed and found to have excellent agreement with experimental results throughout the entire visible and infrared spectral regions. New guidelines for selecting or synthesizing the liquid crystals with the desired birefringence are established. Novel applications of liquid crystals in the infrared region are foreseeable.

• Received 30 September 1985

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.33.1270