The Freedericksz transition in a spatially varying magnetic field
arXiv:2104.10014
Abstract
Much is known about the Freedericksz transition induced by uniform electric and magnetic fields in nematic liquid crystals. Here we study the effects of a spatially varying field on the transition. We study the response of a nematic to a magnetic field with cylindrical symmetry, and find that since the field magnitude varies in the plane of the cell, the transition vanishes.
11 pages, 9 figures