Solitary wave and nonequilibrium phase transition in liquid crystals

Abstract

The solitary-wave character of the Brochard-Leger wall in liquid crystals is analytically revealed. Such a solitary wave has precisely described the behavior of the phase transition. The results obtained are in good quantitative agreement with experiment. A useful formula to determine the viscosity coefficient ${\gamma }_1$ is proposed. The equation describing the motion of the wall is similar to the Huxley equation, which describes nerve-signal propagation in biology. This similarity is very impressive.