Dynamic Scattering and Material Flow in a Nematic Liquid Crystal

Results are presented which show how defects in a nematic liquid crystal can be used to investigate material flow when external electric fields are applied. These results include measurements of the size of flow cells, which were created between the electrodes by an electric field. The electrodes, which were made of transparent conductive coated glass, were placed in a vertical position so that flow cells could be observed from the top while dynamic scattering was observed when viewing normal to the electrodes.