A nonlinear analysis of thermal instabilities in nematic liquid crystals (Q1079062)

This paper presents a nonlinear analysis of thermal convective instabilities in thin layers of nematic liquid crystal bounded by two large, horizontal, flat plates when a vertical thermal gradient is applied across the sample. For the 'planar' problem a simple solution of the field equations and 'strong anchoring' boundary conditions is the equilibrium state: \(n=(1,0,0),\quad v=0,\quad dT/dz=\phi_ 0\), where n is the director, v the velocity and \(\phi_ 0\) a constant temperature gradient. Using a perturbative expansion method, the authors seek two- dimensional, stationary solutions of the form \(v=(u,0,w),\quad (\cos \theta)\), 0, sin \(\theta)\),\ \(T=\phi z+s\) with \[ (u,w,\theta,s)=\sum^{\infty}_{i=1}(u_ i,w_ i,\theta_ i,s_ i)\epsilon^ i,\quad \phi =\phi_ c+\sum^{\infty}_{i=1}\phi_ i\quad \epsilon^ i, \] where \(u_ i,w_ i,\theta_ i,s_ i\) are functions of x and z, \(\phi_ c\) and \(\phi_ i\) are constants and \(\epsilon\) is a small positive parameter. This paper adopts the Boussinesq approximation and neglects the director inertia and viscous dissipation terms. Equating the coefficients of terms of like powers of \(\epsilon\) reduces the problem to that of solving a familiar linear homogeneous eigenvalue problem together with an infinite set of linear inhomogeneous problems. Using Chebyshev collocation and a solvability condition to solve the first three such equations yields \(\phi_ c=-26.8\) (the linear theory prediction), \(\phi_ 1=0\) and \(\phi_ 2<0\) which demonstrates that bifurcation is normal. An estimate of the disturbance amplitude is obtained for sufficiently small \(\epsilon\). Similar results are presented for the homeotropic problem. The paper is easy to read and should be of interest to researchers in continuum mechanics.