Eur. Phys. J. E (2016) 39: 65
https://doi.org/10.1140/epje/i2016-16065-x

Regular Article

Analytical description of 2D magnetic Freedericksz transition in a rectangular cell of a nematic liquid crystal

¹ Institute of Transport Systems and Technologies, Ukrainian National Academy of Science, 5 Pisargevsky St., 49005, Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine
² Physics of Phase Transitions Department, Perm State University, 15 Bukirev St., 614990, Perm, Russia

^* e-mail: burylov@westa-inter.com
^** e-mail: anz@psu.ru

Received: 13 January 2016
Accepted: 25 May 2016
Published online: 28 June 2016

Abstract

We study the Freedericksz transition induced by a magnetic field in a rectangular cell filled with a nematic liquid crystal. In the initial state the director of the nematic liquid crystal is uniformly aligned in the cross section plane of the cell with rigid anchoring of the director at cell walls: planar on the top and bottom walls, and homeotropic on the left and right ones. The magnetic field is directed perpendicular to the cell cross section plane. We consider two-dimensional (2D) orientational deformations of the nematic liquid crystal in the rectangular cell and determine the critical value of the Freedericksz transition field above which these orientational deformations occur. The 2D expression for the director alignment profile above the threshold of Freedericksz transition is analytically found and the profile shapes as functions of cell sizes, values of the Frank elastic constants of the nematic liquid crystal and the magnetic field are studied.