| Abstract: | A complete numerical study of a two-dimensional nematic backflow problem is presented. Nematodynamic equations are reviewed, and characteristic scales are introduced. The relaxation under the application and suppression of a magnetic field is studied in square- and rectangular-shaped cells. Solutions for the flow fields, director fields, and director time derivative fields are given and these are interpreted to gain a qualitative understanding of the problem. The backflow is found to depend critically on the geometry of the cell. The complete solution is compared with the simplified approach in which the backflow is neglected. The discrepancy depends strongly on the cell geometry. |
