Applicability of geometrical optics to in-plane liquid-crystal configurations

We study the applicability of geometrical optics to inhomogeneous dielectric nongyrotropic optically anisotropic media typically found in in-plane liquid-crystal configurations with refractive indices n(o)=1.5 and n(e)=1.7. To this end, we compare the results of advanced ray- and wave-optics simulations of the propagation of an incident plane wave to a special anisotropic configuration. Based on the results, we conclude that for a good agreement between ray and wave optics, a maximum change in optical properties should occur over a distance of at least 20 wavelengths.