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Updated: May 16, 2026

Measuring Magnetically-Tuned Ferroelectric Polarization in Liquid Crystals
Published on: August 15, 2018
Influence of shear flow on the linear response of a nematic liquid crystal to external electric fields
Hiroshi Orihara1, Fan Yang, Yuta Takigami
1Division of Applied Physics, Faculty of Engineering, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-8628, Japan. orihara@eng.hokudai.ac.jp
Abstract:
We have investigated the linear response of shear stress to ac electric fields under shear flow in a nematic liquid crystal. The experimental results were compared with the theoretical results derived from the Ericksen-Leslie theory. Although close agreement was obtained at low shear rates, discrepancies were observed at high shear rates. By introducing a two-mode coupling model the experimental results were well reproduced for the entire range of shear rates, and nonconservative forces were found to play an important role in determining the fluctuation dynamics, which is a characteristic of nonequilibrium steady states.
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