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First-order Fréedericksz transition and front propagation in a liquid crystal light valve with feedback

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Abstract.

Fréedericksz transition can become subcritical in the presence of a feedback mechanism that leads to the dependence of the local electric field onto the liquid crystal re-orientation angle. We have characterized experimentally the first-order Fréedericksz transition in a Liquid Crystal Light Valve with optical feedback. The bistability region is determined, together with the Fréedericksz transition point and the Maxwell point. We show the propagation of fronts connecting the different metastable states and we estimate the front velocity. Theoretically, we derive an amplitude equation, valid close to the Fréedericksz transition point, which accounts for the subcritical character of the bifurcation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Física, Facultad de Ciencias Físicas y Matemáticas, Universidad de Chile, Casilla 487-3, Santiago, Chile

    M. G. Clerc

  2. Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Okayama University, Japan

    T. Nagaya

  3. Physics Department, Yerevan St. University 1, A. Manoogian st, 375049, Armenia

    A. Petrossian

  4. Institut Non Linéaire de Nice, UMR 6618 CNRS-UNSA, 1361 route des Lucioles, 065600, Valbonne, France

    S. Residori

  5. DAMTP-CMS, Wilberforce Road, CB3 0WA, Cambridge, UK

    C. S. Riera

Authors
  1. M. G. Clerc
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  2. T. Nagaya
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  3. A. Petrossian
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  4. S. Residori
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  5. C. S. Riera
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to S. Residori.

Additional information

Received: 21 October 2003, Published online: 6 January 2004

PACS:

05.45.-a Nonlinear dynamics and nonlinear dynamical systems - 64.60.-i General studies of phase transitions

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Clerc, M.G., Nagaya, T., Petrossian, A. et al. First-order Fréedericksz transition and front propagation in a liquid crystal light valve with feedback. Eur. Phys. J. D 28, 435–445 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1140/epjd/e2003-00316-1

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