1999/07/08 by J. T. Gleeson, N. Gheorghiu, Gleeson, J. T. +5
Computer Science · Materials Science · Physics and Astronomy · #FOS: Physical sciences #Liquid Crystal Research Advancements #Nonlinear Dynamics and Pattern Formation #Pattern Formation and Solitons (nlin.PS) #Spectroscopy and Quantum Chemical Studies #nlin.PS #patt-sol
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.patt-sol/9907002
13 pages, 3 figures; submitted to Europhysics Letters, July, 1999
arxiv created 1999/07/08 · openalex publication_date 1999/07/08 · arxiv updated 2009/11/30 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
We develop a characterization method of electroconvection structures in a planar nematic liquid crystal layer by a study of the electric current transport. Because the applied potential difference has a sinusoidal time dependence, we define two electric Nusselt numbers corresponding to the in-phase and out-of-phase components of the current. These Nusselt numbers are predicted theoretically using a weakly nonlinear analysis of the standard model. Our measurements of the electric current confirm that both numbers vary linearly with the distance from onset until the occurence of secondary instabilities; these instabilities also have a distinct Nusselt number signature. A systematic comparison between our theoretical and experimental results, using no adjusted parameters, demonstrates reasonable agreement. This represents a quantitative test of the standard model completely independent from traditional, optical techniques of studying electroconvection.