Formation of vortex flows in thin nematic cells

Abstract

The director field reorientation and the formation of steady vortex flows in doubly and obliquely oriented thin liquid-crystal cells under the temperature gradient have been theoretically described within the nonlinear generalization of the classical Ericksen-Leslie theory for describing liquid crystal hydrodynamics. This generalization allowing the consideration of thermomechanical contributions to the shear stress and to the entropy balance equation has made it possible to describe the formation of a steady two-vortex flow in doubly oriented liquid-crystal cells.