title: Biaxial surface order dynamics in calamitic nematics.
abstract: Thermotropic nematic materials relax strong distortions by lowering the nematic order: the uniaxial symmetry is broken and is locally replaced by biaxial domains. We investigated the dynamics of the nematic order near a boundary surface of an asymmetric π-cell submitted to an external electric field, close to the electric order reconstruction threshold. An unexpected phenomenon is observed close, but below the threshold: the biaxial order spreads on the surface inducing a consequent bulk topological behaviour equivalent to the splay-bend fast transition allowed by order reconstruction at higher voltage.
authors.affiliation: CNR-IPCF UOS di Cosenza, c/o University of Calabria, 87036 Rende, Italy.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lombardo
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Amoddeo
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hamdi
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ayeb
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Barberi