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Thermally induced optical storage and erasure (local and nonlocal) of scattering centers in thin films of smectic liquid crystals has been demonstrated. These new thermo-optic and electrothermo-optic effects provide the basis for what is believed to be the first practical application of smectic liquid crystals, an infrared-laser-addressed light valve for the recording, storage, and display of high-resolution graphic images.
Frederic J. Kahn (1973) studied this question.