title: Backflow-mediated domain switching in nematic liquid crystals.
abstract: We study the dynamics of the nematic liquid crystal kickback effect upon removal of a primary electric field and its amplification by a perpendicular secondary electric field resulting in the formation of domains with a reverse director orientation. Using computational fluid dynamics, we show that the domain formation is a robust phenomenon that takes place also in the complex case of multiple irregular random Freedericksz domains in three dimension as they appear in a realistic experimental situation. We propose domain switching by kickback amplification as a tool for self-insertion of shell-like inhomogeneities into an otherwise perfectly uniform director field configuration.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, University of Ljubljana, Jadranska 19, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
authors.forename: Janez
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Turk
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, University of Ljubljana, Jadranska 19, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Svenšek