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  • Letter
  • Open Access

Light beam induced finger instability in a photosensitive liquid crystal cell

Ignacio Andrade-Silva*

Marcel G. Clerc†, Gregorio Gonzalez-Cortes‡, and Vincent Odent§

  • Institut Universitaire des Systèmes Thermiques et Industriels, Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, 13013 Marseille, France

  • Departamento de Físicas and Millennium Institute for Research in Optics, Facultad de Ciencias Físicas y Matemáticas, Universidad de Chile, Casilla 487-3 Santiago, Chile

  • *ignacioandradesilva@gmail.com
  • †marcel@dfi.uchile.cl
  • ‡gregorio.gonzalez@ug.uchile.cl
  • §vincent.odent@saint-gobain.com
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Phys. Rev. Research 3, L022027 – Published 21 June, 2021

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevResearch.3.L022027

Abstract

Interfaces limiting two phases in driven systems may exhibit rich dynamical behaviors. Optically induced phase transitions are of particular interest for the study of interfacial phenomena. Dye-doped liquid crystals offer an ideal scenario in which phase transitions can be induced by purely optical means. Light-driven interface dynamics and spatial structure have been partially unveiled. Here we report the emergence of fingerlike structures at the nematic-isotropic interface in a photoisomerization experiment. A reduced model reveals the instability origin, which is derived from a model for the dopant concentration and the order parameter. Analogously to the hydrodynamically triggered finger instability, the interdigital space follows a power law. When the cell is in the isotropic phase and the light turns off, transient foamlike and labyrinthine textures are observed. Numerical simulations reproduce the observed behaviors. Our findings open an avenue for optically addressed interfacial dynamics and shape tailoring of spatial textures, not only liquid crystals but also polymers.

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Phys. Rev. Research 3, L022027– Published 21 June, 2021
  • Received 20 April 2021
  • Accepted 9 June 2021
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Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article's title, journal citation, and DOI.

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