title: Comment on "local elastic stability for nematic liquid crystals".
abstract: We discuss a theory recently proposed by Virga and co-workers for the analysis of the local elastic stability of nematic liquid crystals [R. Rosso, E. G. Virga, and S. Kralj, Phys. Rev. E. 70, 011710 (2004)]. The periodic instability in a nematic sample induced by the saddle-splay elastic constant or by the coupling of an external field with the flexoelectric polarization is reconsidered. We show that in the case in which the two surfaces limiting the sample are characterized by the same easy angle the analysis previously proposed by us coincides with the one proposed by Virga.
authors.affiliation: Departamentul de Fizica, Universitatea Politehnica din Bucuresti, Bucharest, Romania.
authors.forename: A L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Alexe-Ionescu
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Barbero