title: Competition between electroconvection and Fréedericksz distortions in nematic liquid crystals with slightly positive dielectric anisotropy.
abstract: Planar electroconvection in nematic liquid crystals with positive dielectric anisotropy is theoretically studied in the nonlinear regime. The system is characterized by a competition between the nonequilibrium electroconvection instability and the equilibrium Fréedericksz distortions. Near a resulting multicritical bifurcation point a splay-roll instability and a bistability between the convective and the homogeneous states occur.
authors.affiliation: Physikalisches Institut der Universität Bayreuth, D-95440 Bayreuth, Germany.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Dressel
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Pesch