Journal: Nature Communications

Article Title: Periodic splay Fréedericksz transitions in a ferroelectric nematic

doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-55827-9

Figure Lengend Snippet: a PolScope Microimager texture of the in-plane splay and bend for the normal incidence of light; wavelength 535 nm. b Polarizing microscopy of square lattice of +1/−1 defects. c Potential difference measured at the N F cell electrodes; the generated voltage. d Transmitted intensity as a function of time at locations L1’–L4’. \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$${{\bf{P}}}$$\end{document} P oscillates with the frequency of the applied field. Incident laser beam makes an angle \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$\beta=$$\end{document} β = 15° with the normal \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$\hat{{{\bf{z}}}}$$\end{document} z ^ to the cell. Dashed line corresponds to zero voltage. In ( a – d ), \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$d$$\end{document} d = (3.0 ± 0.1) μm; applied voltage from the source U rms = 30 V, 200 kHz sinusoidal waveform; 120 °C. e Particle image velocimetry (PIVlab, Matlab) integrated trajectories of fluorescent spherical flow tracers of the diameter 300 nm in the square lattice of +1/−1 defects; d = (4.8 ± 0.1) μm cell; sinusoidal wave of voltage 4.5 V and frequency f = 200 kHz; 115 °C. f the same cell, in-plane velocity field of the tracers.

Article Snippet: Their trajectories are uncovered by particle image velocimetry package PIVLab in Matlab.

Techniques: Microscopy, Generated