Magnetic-field-induced periodic deformations in planar nematic layers

Periodic deformations of strongly anchored planar nematic layers subjected to magnetic fields were studied numerically. Two magnetic-field configurations, giving rise to the so-called periodic splay-twist and periodic twist-splay patterns, were taken into account. The stationary director distribution was calculated for various values of elastic anisotropy and magnetic-field strength. Some alternative conclusions that shed light on the properties of the periodic deformations were drawn: (i) the transition from the periodically deformed structure to the homogeneously deformed one, which occurs in high field, is due to the divergence of the spatial period of the deformations to infinity; (ii) the spatial dependence of the angles determining the high-field director distribution strongly deviates from the theoretically predicted functions of sinusoidal form. The diagrams showing the ranges of parameters, for which the periodic deformations can realize, were built. The stable wave-number bands were determined numerically.