Magnetically induced Freedericksz transition and relaxation phenomena in nematic liquid crystals doped with azo-dyes

A static and dynamic investigation was performed on liquid crystal cells containing pure nematics and nematics doped with an azo-dye (Methyl Orange). It was found that the critical field for magnetic Freedericksz transition was decreased in samples containing the “trans” isomer and increased in those containing the “cis  ” isomer. Changes in the relaxation time _τA${\tau }_A$, _τB${\tau }_B$ intervening when switching on/off the magnetic field were also noticed. A theoretical model was elaborated to explain these phenomena.     

Surface anchoring energy and the Freedericksz transitions in ferronematics

This paper analyzes the influence of anchoring conditions on the two-field-induced Freedericksz transition in ferronematics. Using the Euler-Lagrange analytical method we find a correlation between the threshold intensities of the magnetic and the laser fields, the anchoring strength, the material and device parameters. The threshold fields in our case are smaller than those obtained in the rigid anchoring limit. We show that for finite anchoring energy, the saturation transition is possible, and find the correlation between the saturation fields, the anchoring strength, the material and cell parameters. Our results can be useful in designing magneto-optical devices using ferronematics.     

Transient Reorientation of a Doped Liquid Crystal System under a Short Laser Pulse

The transient optical nonlinearity of a nematic liquid crystal doped with azo-dye DR19 is examined. The optical reorientation threshold of a 25-μm-thick planar-aligned sample of 5CB using a 50 ns pulse duration 532nm YAG laser pulse is observed to decrease from 800 mJ/mm^2 to 0.6 mJ/mm^2 after the addition of i vol% azo dopant, a reduction of three orders of magnitude. When using a laser pulse duration of 10ns, no such effect is observed. Experimental results indicate that the azo dopant molecules undergo photoisomerization from trans-isomer to cis-isomer under exposure to light, and this conformation change reorients the 5CB molecules via intermolecular coupling between guest and host. This guest-host coupling also affects the azo photoisomerization process.     

Nematic universality

In this work we will present theoretical arguments that explain why the nematic phase exhibits a universal behavior encompassing its entire range. By considering that the physical properties of the nematic molecules can be written as a product of two distinct terms, being the first a compound dependent term and the another a function characterizing the nematic phase, it will be shown that it is possible to remove from the experimental data the particularities characterizing an specific compound and a universal behavior is obtained. Furthermore, it will be shown that these universalities should be a direct consequence of a more fundamental universality, the universal geometrical shape of the nematic molecules.     

Phase transition in liquid crystal elastomers—A Monte Carlo study employing non-Boltzmann sampling

We investigate nematic-isotropic transition in liquid crystal elastomers employing a variant of Wang-Landau sampling. This technique facilitates calculation of the density of states from which other thermodynamic properties can be obtained. We consider a lattice model of a liquid crystal elastomer and a Hamiltonian which accounts for interactions among liquid crystalline units and interaction of local nematics with global strain. We investigate the effect of varying the strength of coupling between nematic and orientational degrees of freedom. When the local director is coupled strongly to the global strain, the transition is strongly first order. When the strength of the coupling decreases the transition becomes weakly first order. The transition temperature decreases when the coupling becomes weaker. We also report for the first time results on variation of free energy as a function of average energy at different temperatures and coupling constants.     

Surface transitions in nematic liquid crystals oriented with Langmuir-Blodgett films

In this paper two types of surface transitions in nematic liquid crystals are theoretically analyzed with a simple model in which the anchoring energy is the result of both steric and electric interactions. The physical model is proper to explain both the transition temperature experimentally observed in homeotropically aligned nematic liquid crystals, and the change in the mean molecular direction due to the variation of the number of surfactant films, piled on the boundary surfaces with the Langmuir-Blodgett technique.Partially supported by the TEMPUS program     

An azo-isomerization-induced Freedericksz transition of a nematic liquid crystal

We observed an azo-isomerization-induced Freedericksz transition of the 5CB liquid crystal doped with 1% double-azo. In experiment, we found that the Freedericksz transition threshold occurred at optical intensity level of 0.3 mW/mm² for the 12.5 μm-thickness planar alignment doped 5CB, which is four orders of magnitude lower as that for the pure 5CB. Using optical phase retardation, we measured the relations between the Freedericksz transition threshold and the pump beam polarization. The maximum twist angle of liquid crystal molecules under different pump beam intensity is given. The experiment indicated that trans–cis isomerization plays an important role in the decrease of the Freedericksz transition threshold.     

Monte Carlo simulation of joint density of states in one-dimensional Lebwohl-Lasher model using Wang-Landau algorithm

Monte Carlo simulation using the Wang-Landau algorithm has been performed in an one-dimensional Lebwohl-Lasher model. Both one-dimensional and two-dimensional random walks have been carried out. The results are compared with the exact results which are available for this model.     

Traveling waves in twisted nematic liquid crystal cells

We have described a novel reorientation mechanism in the form of the traveling waves, under influence of an external electric field, directed parallel to both glass plates, which occur in the twisted nematic cell (TNC). It is found that the slowest velocity of the traveling front is proportional to the field strength, and, approximately, in three times higher than the front velocity corresponding to the non-traveling solution. The value of the critical electric field Ecr$E_{\mathrm{cr}}$ which may excite the traveling waves in the TNC in π   times less than the value of the threshold electric field Eth$E_{\mathrm{th}}$ corresponding to the untwisted geometry.     

Critical Exponents for the Re-entrant Phase Transitions in the Three-Dimensional Blume-Emery-Grifilths Model on the Cellular Automaton

The critical behaviour of the three-dimensional Blume-Emery-Griffiths （BEG） model ＆ investigated at D/ J = O, -0.25 and -1 in the range of-1 ≤ K/J ≤ 0 for J -- 100. The simulations are carried out on a simple cubic lattice using the heating algorithm improved from the Creutz cellular automaton （CCA ） under periodic boundary conditions. The universality of the model are obtained for re-entrant and double re-entrant phase transitions which occur at certain D/J and K/J parameters, with J and K representing the nearest-neighbour bilinear and biquadratic interactions, and D being the single-ion anisotropy parameter. The values of static critical exponents β, γ and v are estimated within the framework of the finite-size scaling theory. The results are compatible with the universal Ising critical behaviour for all continuous phase transitions in these ranges.     

Universal growth laws in liquid crystals far from equilibrium

Universal growth laws were examined experimentally for the transition from an isotropic melt to the liquid-crystalline state as well as the liquid-crystal (LC) to crystal transition for a system, which can be largely super-cooled. For large quench depths the growth exponent of the growth law L(t) ∼tⁿ is given by n=1. On decreasing the quench depth, two phase-ordering processes can be resolved for the isotropic (Iso.)–LC transition, one with a decreasing growth exponent 1<n<1/2 and a long-time process with n=1, independent of quench depth. In the very vicinity of the transition, nucleus growth is described by a single process according to L(t) ∼t^1/2. This behavior is interpreted in terms of an Iso. to blue-phase (BP) to cholesteric (N*) transition. The crystallization from the liquid-crystalline state (monotropic smectic A*) can be super-cooled substantially and follows a linear-growth process L(t)∼t. Received: 3 July 2000 / Accepted: 17 October 2000 / Published online: 10 January 2001     

Magnetic field-induced orientational phases of ferronematics in shear flow

We examine the effect of shear flow on the orientational phase transitions induced by a magnetic field in ferronematic liquid crystals. Continuum approach based on the generalized Leslie–Ericksen theory is used to describe the dynamics of ferronematic liquid crystals. We consider three orientations of the magnetic field in a plane of shear flow. Stationary solutions for the director and the magnetization are obtained as functions of the magnetic field strength for different values of material parameters. Our results show that shear flow can lead to the shift of the field thresholds or to a “smoothing” of the magnetic field-induced transitions in ferronematics. In the limiting case of pure nematic liquid crystals, we revealed threshold effects, which are unstipulated by the orientational elasticity of a liquid crystal, in contrast to the conventional Fréedericksz transition.     

Thermal diffusivity measurements in a lyotropic discotic nematic phase

The present work is focused on thermal diffusivity (D)$(D)$ measurements, via Z  -scan experiment, in a discotic nematic phase of the lyotropic mixture comprised of potassium laurate, decanol and D₂O${\text{D}}_2\text{O}$. In this experiment, the nematic sample is translated through the focal region of a focused Gaussian laser beam. The experimental data are analyzed according to the thermal lens model and the ratio between the thermal diffusivities parallel (D_∥)$(D_{\parallel })$ and perpendicular (D_⊥)$(D_{\perp })$ to the director of the nematic sample has been found to be smaller than one. The results are compared to others obtained with different liquid crystals and explained by using a simple model where this ratio is correlated to the shape anisotropy of the micelles.     

Stochastic processes in a nonlinear Kerr-like ordered liquid

A special case of the problem determined by laser-induced instabilities (at cw input) in wave interactions with inhomogeneous anisotropic media with high threshold nonlinearity under condition of energy competition and exchange between waves with orthogonal polarizations is examined.     

On spatial variations of nematic ordering

We present a theory of orientational order in nematic liquid crystals which interpolates between several distinct approaches based on the director field (Oseen and Frank), order parameter tensor (Landau and de Gennes), and orientation probability density function (Onsager). As in density-functional theories, the suggested free energy is a functional of spatially-dependent orientation distribution, however, the nonlocal effects are taken into account via phenomenological elastic terms rather than by means of a direct pair-correlation function. In illustration of this approach we consider a simplified model with orientation parameter on a circle and reveal its relation to the complex Ginzburg-Landau theory.     

Geometry of nematic liquid crystals under shearing flow

In this work, an extended version of the Hess-Baalss conformal approach is used to propose a relation connecting the viscosity coefficients of the nematic liquid crystals. Starting from the well-known fact that, in its usual form, the conformal transformation leads to results which are not observed experimentally, it is shown that, when the director field of an ordered nematic phase under sheared motion is taken as a three-dimensional surface with torsion, the resulting theory describes the observed experimental data efficiently. Moreover, this model predicts that the five viscosity coefficients of the Leslie ah hoc model are not independent, but connected. A comparison of the deduced relationship with experimental data is performed and an excellent agreement is obtained.     

Competition between ferroelectric and flexoelectric polarization in freely suspended smectic films

We report a detailed ellipsometric study of freely suspended films of chiral liquid-crystal compounds possessing smectic-A and smectic-C phases. In the temperature region between the smectic-A - smectic-C bulk and surface transitions, a discontinuous reconstruction of the tilt profile across the film is observed in the presence of a constant d.c. electric field. Comparison of the measured ellipsometric quantities with values calculated from model tilt profiles reveals a competition between a structure possessing a homogeneous tilt direction and large ferroelectric polarization and a structure with opposite tilt direction in the two film halfs and large flexoelectric polarization. Received 21 October 1998     

Peculiarities of biphasic regions at phase transitions in oriented textures of 4-cyano-4′-n-pentylbiphenyl

Peculiarities of the biphasic regions at the direct and reverse phase transitions between homeotropic oriented nematic mesophase and isotropic liquid have been investigated in detail in this work. The shift of phase transition temperatures to the low temperatures by the reverse phase transitions have been observed for this mesophase. Nonlinearity of thermotropic and thermo-optical properties at the phase transitions between nematic mesophase and isotropic liquid have been found.     

Effect of high electric fields on the nematic to isotropic transition in a material exhibiting large negative dielectric anisotropy

We report the experimental high electric field phase diagram of a nematic liquid crystal which exhibits a large negative dielectric anisotropy. We measure simultaneously the birefringence (Δn) and the dielectric constant (epsilon_⊥) at various applied fields as functions of the local temperature of an aligned sample. We also measure the higher harmonics of the electrical response of the medium. The following experimental results are noted: (i) enhancement of orientational order parameter S in the nematic phase due to both the Kerr effect and quenching of director fluctuations; (ii) enhancement in the paranematic to nematic transition temperature (T_PN) with field; (iii) divergence of the order parameter susceptibility beyond the tricritical point as measured by third harmonic electrical signal; (iv) a small second harmonic electrical signal which also diverges near T_PN, indicating the presence of polarised domains. Our measurements show that ΔT_PN(= T_PN(E)-T_NI(0)) varies linearly with |E| whereas the Landau de Gennes theory predicts a dependence on E². It is argued that the quenching of director fluctuations by the field makes the dominant contribution to all the observations, including the thermodynamics of the transition.     

Pressure variation of reentrant transition temperature in liquid crystals

High pressure experimental studies show that in certain mesogenic materials, the nematic-smectic A (N-Sm A) transition temperature T_AN exhibits nonlinear pressure dependence. As a consequence, the material shows reentrant phenomena that is a phase sequence nematic — smectic A — reentrant nematic appears. The characteristic features of this phenomenon have been addressed here within the framework of Landau-de-Gennes theory, where the coupling between nematic and smectic A order parameters (γ, λ_eff) plays an important role. The cubic coupling γ is chosen to be negative in order to form Sm A phase whereas the biquadratic coupling λ_eff is made large and positive to obtain reentrant behaviour. In the present work, we incorporate the pressure dependence in the theory through γ and λ_eff which justifies the experimental pressure dependence in the reentrant transition temperature . The pressure dependence of γ and λ_eff are employed in the calculation of excess specific heat capacity near the reentrant transition. The computed heat capacity shows strong pressure dependence near the reentrant transition which can be confirmed from high pressure measurement.