Influence of a Magnetic Field on the Periodic Splay-Stripes in Hybrid Aligned Nematics

Abstract

An aperiodic hybrid alignement can only appear above a critical thickness in a nematic layer with weak anchoring. Here the influence on the critical thickness of a magnetic field normal to the cell plates is reported. Moreover, the existence of periodic solutions, previously found in a hybrid cell without external field, is discussed in the presence of the magnetic field and in the case of strong anchoring at the wall, where the easy direction is unidirectional planar.

Key Words:

• hybrid
• nematics
• alignment
• magnetic field