Electric field-induced fast nematic order dynamics

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Abstract
A strong electric field is able to induce transient and/or local biaxial states within a nematic calamitic phase, and the resultant nematic texture can be identified by the Landau–de Gennes Q-tensor theory. In this study we present a numerical Q-tensor model implemented with an adaptive moving-mesh finite element method, and this is able to describe the nematic order dynamics within a one-dimensional π-cell under the action of rapid electric pulses of different amplitudes. The proposed technique concentrates the grid points within regions of large ∇ Q , keeping the total number of nodes in the domain constant in order to avoid waste of computational effort in areas where spatial order variability is low. Both the nematic order and the electric current flowing across the cell are strongly dependent on the amplitude of the applied electric field. The evolution of biaxiality allows not only monostable elastic distortions to be described, but also textural transitions between nematic states with different topologies.

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