Self-organized ensembles of nematic domains in magnetic and electric fields

https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.106.024703

The structural and magneto- and electro-optical properties of a self-organized ensemble of nematic domains formed on a polycarbonate film in the presence of a residual solvent are studied. The film covered one of the plane-parallel glass plates of a liquid crystal cell. The magnetic field stabilizing the planar alignment of the liquid crystal was applied parallel to the cell surfaces and the reorienting electric field, perpendicular to them. The voltage dependences of the intensity of light transmitted through the domain ensemble were obtained at different constant values of the magnetic field. The comparison of the experimental dependences with the dependences calculated using the liquid crystal free-energy minimization procedure has shown good agreement between them. The mutual effect of structural elements of the ensemble and the effects of phase modulation of light are analyzed by comparing the structural, magnetic, and electric coherence lengths.