Dynamics of solitary waves in smectic-C* liquid crystals

The dynamics of solitary waves in ferroelectric liquid crystals is considered in the context of an overdamped double sine-Gordon model. Various possible types of single waves are studied. The dependence of wave velocity and scale on the system parameters and initial conditions is found. Sharp initial profiles lead to waves with a universal form. The parameters of the wave arising from smooth profiles are determined also by the scale of the initial conditions. Numerical calculations show good agreement with analytical results. The possibility of using such waves to improve the characteristics of liquid crystal devices is also discussed.