Electrohydrodynamic Instabilities in Nematic Liquid Crystals in Low-Frequency Fields

Abstract

The threshold for domain formation and the characteristics of domains have been measured over an extended frequency range. Comparison with the Helfrich‐Orsay theory shows a good fit of the threshold over a wider than expected variation of cell thicknesses. This is even true near the ``critical'' frequency where the domain size decreases with increasing frequency. In addition, a new domain regime is described at frequencies smaller than the inverse ion transit time.