Vibrational Fréedericksz transition in liquid crystals

V. A. Vladimirov*, M. Yu Zhukov

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

3 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Our aim is to show the possibility of a "vibrational Fréedericksz's transition" in nematic liquid crystals (LCs) consisting of asymmetric molecules (in the absence of the reflectional symmetry for the director field). For this purpose we study the effects of the external high-frequency vibrations imposed on LCs by employing the rigorous two-timing asymptotic averaging method to the governing LC equations in their most general form. We restrict our attention only to translational mechanical vibrations of an incompressible LC medium as a whole, so our vibrations are not related to acoustical waves. We show that the averaged "vibrogenic" torque acted on the director field is mathematically equivalent to the torque caused by an external magnetic field. This equivalence leads us to the key conclusion that the high-frequency mechanical vibrations can cause the vibrational Fréedericksz's transition. Our evaluation of the relevant physical parameters shows that this phenomenon can be observed in laboratory experiments.

Original languageEnglish
Article number031706
JournalPhysical Review E - Statistical, Nonlinear, and Soft Matter Physics
Volume76
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Sept 27 2007
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Statistical and Nonlinear Physics
  • Statistics and Probability
  • Condensed Matter Physics

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