Influence of shear flow on the Fréedericksz transition in nematic liquid crystals

Abstract

Within the framework of Ericksen-Leslie continuum theory we analyze the influence of shear flow on the magnetic-field-induced Fréedericksz transition in nematic liquid crystal with rodlike molecules. We consider three basic orientational configurations of a nematic planar layer in the uniform magnetic field. Conditions of rigid director coupling on the boundaries of the layer and constant shear flow gradient inside the layer are used. We exhibit some flow aligning effects for nematic liquid crystals with various ratio of rotary viscosities and investigate how unequal elastic constants (elastic anisotropy) alter the magnetic Fréedericksz transition in sheared nematics. Our calculations predict that surface boundary effects in nematic films and magnetic field action lead to existence of stationary flow regimes in the so-called nonflow aligning nematics, otherwise, surface and magnetic forces extend the range of viscous coefficient values corresponding to the flow aligning regimes. We show that imposing of shear flow on the Fréedericksz transition leads to a threshold behavior or to a "smoothing" of the transition. It depends on the orientation of the nematic layer in magnetic field and magnitudes of rotary viscous coefficients.