Damage to the planar texture of absorbing cholesteric liquid crystals by pulsed laser radiation

An experimental investigation was made of the kinetics of changes in the planar texture of an absorbing cholesteric liquid crystal under the action of pulsed (nanosecond) laser radiation. An analysis was made of the possible mechanisms of light-induced changes in the texture under the action of a laser wave. An irreversible change in the transparency of a cholesteric liquid crystal in the irradiation zone was attributed to the formation of a confocal texture induced by pulsed heating above the phase transition temperature and rapid cooling of the investigated hysteretic mixtures of cholesteric liquid crystals.