Optical Transmission Factor of a Ferronematic Liquid Crystal Under Magnetic Field Induced Orientational Transitions

Abstract

In the framework of continuum theory we study the light transmission factor of a ferronematic liquid crystal as a function of external magnetic field, the anchoring energy with the boundary of a layer, and material parameters of a ferronematic. We show that magnetic field induced Fréedericksz transition in ferronematics in twist geometry can be either a first- or second-order phase transition depending on the anchoring energy between the director and magnetic particles, i.e., it exhibits the tricritical behavior. The light transmission factor for first- or second-order transition is also studied.

Keywords:

• Ferronematic
• magnetic suspension
• optical transmission
• orientational transitions

Acknowledgment

This work was partially supported by Grant No. 10–02-96030 from Russian Foundation for Basic Research.