Surface waves in cholesterics in a magnetic field

Propagating waves on the free surface of a cholesteric liquid crystal in a vertical magnetic field are considered for the case when the anisotropy of the magnetic susceptibility is negative. Surface fluctuations distort the helical structure and the dispersion relation and penetration depth are shown to depend on three possible restoring forces: the surface tension, the twist elastic forces associated with the helix, and the magnetic field.