Dynamics of liquid crystalline domains in magnetic field

TL;DR

This study investigates how magnetic fields influence the nucleation, growth, and disordering of liquid crystalline domains, revealing that magnetic fields accelerate alignment and growth while prolonging disordering.

Contribution

It provides new quantitative insights into the effects of magnetic fields on the dynamics of liquid crystalline domains within the coexistence region.

Findings

Alignment time decreases with the square of magnetic field strength.

Disordering time is longer when the magnetic field is removed.

Magnetic fields increase the growth rate of nematic domains.

Abstract

We study microscopic single domains nucleating and growing within the coexistence region of the Isotropic (I) and Nematic (N) phases in magnetic field. By rapidly switching on the magnetic field the time needed to align the nuclei of sufficiently large size is measured, and is found to decrease with the square of the magnetic field. When the field is removed the disordering time is observed to last on a longer time scale. The growth rate of the nematic domains at constant temperature within the coexistence region is found to increase when a magnetic field is applied.