Observation of Light Diffusion and Correlation Transport in Nematic Liquid Crystals

Light diffusion and temporal correlation transport are studied in an orientationally ordered multiply scattering medium. In particular, we experimentally demonstrate the anisotropic diffusion of light through a turbid nematic liquid crystal, and we measure the temporal correlations of these diffused speckle fields for the first time. The measurements are shown to provide useful information about this material, specifically the average rotational viscosity of the director. Computer simulations corroborate both the experimental observations and a more rigorous analytic theoretical formulation of this problem.