Wave plate

Top: Scheme showing magnetic control over light transmittance in the novel liquid crystals. B is the alternating magnetic field. The polarized light is seen in yellow. The gray rods represent the polarizers. The magnetic field controls the orientation of the nanorods (seen in orange), which in turn affects the polarization of the light and, then, the amount of light that can pass through the polarizers. Bottom: Images show how a polarization-modulated pattern changes darkness/brightness by rotating the direction of the cross polarizers. The circles and background contain magnetic nanorods aligned at different orientations. Research by the Yin Lab at UC Riverside shows that by combining magnetic alignment and lithography processes, it is possible to create patterns of different polarizations in a thin composite film and control over the transmittance of light in particular areas. IMAGE CREDIT: YIN LAB, UC RIVERSIDE.
Let There Be Light: Chemists Develop Magnetically Responsive Liquid Crystals