The combined ac and dc electro-optic response of an azo-dye containing viscoelastic polymer matrix

We present the combined ac and dc electro-optic response of a model host-guest polymer system. The electro-optic response is found to agree qualitatively with a molecular electric field theory that takes into account the viscoelastic properties of the polymer matrix., Thus, the interaction between the chromophore and the polymer matrix is included into the model for reorientation dynamics. We observe a blue shift in the characteristic electro-optic response as the molecular field is lowered and the chromophore rotates freely. The polymer used for the experiments is Disperse Red 1 containing poly-(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), and the electro-optic response is measured by means of frequency resolved ellipsometry.