This article is cited in 8 papers

Theoretical and Mathematical Physics

Chaotic dynamics in the electroconvection system of a nematic liquid crystal

V. A. Delev^a, O. A. Skaldin^ab, E. S. Batyrshin^a, E. G. Axelrod<sup>a

a</sup> Institute of Molecule and Crystal Physics, Ufa Federal Research Centre, Russian Academy of Sciences
^b Ufa State Aviation Technical University

Abstract: The transition from a steady domain structure to turbulence in the electroconvection system of a nematic under the action of a constant electric field is studied using the methods of optical and acoustic responses. The chaotic dynamics is investigated both by conventional methods (Fourier signal spectrum) and by methods of nonlinear dynamics. From the quantitative estimates of basic characteristics of the chaotic behavior (namely, the correlation dimension, leading Lyapunov exponent, K-entropy, and embedding dimension), one can conclude that temporal chaos arises in the system, giving rise to a strange attractor, as the control parameter increases at $\varepsilon\ge\varepsilon_c\approx$ 0.5. The fact that the distribution of laminar domains in the liquid-crystal layer depends on their length under the conditions of developed turbulence indicates that the dynamics of the nematic demonstrates the intermittent behavior.

Received: 11.03.2010

 English version: Technical Physics, 2011, 56:1, 8–14

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