title: Theoretical modeling of photo-induced wave propagation in liquid-crystalline Langmuir monolayers.
abstract: A phenomenological model of wave propagation in photo-excited liquid-crystalline Langmuir monolayers is constructed. The spontaneous splay deformation of the liquid-crystalline order and the anisotropy of photo-excitation of molecules are taken into account in this model. Numerical simulations of the model well reproduce qualitative features of the wave propagation phenomenon observed in recent experiments. A linear stability analysis of the model equations reveals that an interplay between the spontaneous splay deformation and the anisotropy of the photo-excitation can lead to the wave propagation.
authors.affiliation: Yokoyama Nano-structured Liquid Crystal Project, ERATO, Japan Science and Technology Agency, 5-9-9 Tokodai, Tsukuba 300-2635, Japan. okuzono@nanolc.jst.go.jp
authors.forename: Tohru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Okuzono
authors.forename: Yuka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tabe
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yokoyama
mesh_terms: D003460:Crystallization; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D010777:Photochemistry