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Updated: May 3, 2026

Preparation of Liquid Crystal Networks for Macroscopic Oscillatory Motion Induced by Light
Published on: September 20, 2017
Labyrinthine instability in freely suspended films of a polarization-modulated smectic phase
Alexey Eremin1, Ulrike Kornek1, Ralf Stannarius1
1Department of Nonlinear Phenomena, Institute for Experimental Physics, Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, PO box 4120, 39106 Magdeburg, Germany.
Abstract:
We report on fingering and labyrinthine instabilities of the layer dislocation lines in freely suspended polar liquid-crystalline films. These polar fingerlike and labyrinth structures reversibly form upon a transition into a modulated phase. External electric fields of several kV/m applied in the film plane can reversibly influence the formation of the finger textures. We show that the labyrinthine pattern is intrinsically related to regular splay deformations of the polarization.

