Bifurcation properties of nematic liquid crystals exposed to an electric field: Switchability, bistability, and multistability
Type
ArticleAuthors
Cummings, L. J.Cai, C.
Kondic, L.
KAUST Grant Number
KUK-C1-013-04Date
2013-07-30Permanent link to this record
http://hdl.handle.net/10754/597668
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Bistable liquid crystal displays (LCDs) offer the potential for considerable power savings compared with conventional (monostable) LCDs. The existence of two (or more) stable field-free states that are optically distinct means that contrast can be maintained in a display without an externally applied electric field. An applied field is required only to switch the device from one state to the other, as needed. In this paper we examine the basic physical principles involved in generating multiple stable states and the switching between these states. We consider a two-dimensional geometry in which variable surface anchoring conditions are used to control the steady-state solutions and explore how different anchoring conditions can influence the number and type of solutions and whether or not switching is possible between the states. We find a wide range of possible behaviors, including bistability, tristability, and tetrastability, and investigate how the solution landscape changes as the boundary conditions are tuned. © 2013 American Physical Society.Citation
Cummings LJ, Cai C, Kondic L (2013) Bifurcation properties of nematic liquid crystals exposed to an electric field: Switchability, bistability, and multistability. Phys Rev E 88. Available: http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.88.012509.Sponsors
This work was supported by the NSF under Grants No. DMS-0908158 and No. DMS-1211713. L. J. C. also gratefully acknowledges partial support from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in the form of an OCCAM Visiting Fellowship, funded by Award No. KUK-C1-013-04.Publisher
American Physical Society (APS)Journal
Physical Review EPubMed ID
23944476ae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1103/PhysRevE.88.012509
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