The simplest tool to study three-dimensional arrangements is
polarizing microscopy (PM). PM tests the orientation of optical
axes of the liquid crystal specimen; these optical axes are
closely related to the molecular arrangements in the medium.
Unfortunately, PM yields only two-dimensional (2D) textures in
the so-called plane of observation which is perpendicular to the
optical axis of the microscope. This 2D image integrates the
true 3D configuration of optical birefringence over the path of
light. As the result of such an integration, the director
profile along the direction of observation (="vertical cross
section" of the specimen) is hard to decipher. Regrettably, it
is precisely the director configuration in the vertical cross-
section that is often the most valuable and desirable. The
fluorescence confocal polarizing microscopy (FCPM) allows one to
recover the missing information and to obtain a truly 3D image
of the liquid crystal director, both in the plane of observation
and along the direction of ob