Biasing a ferronematic - a new way to detect weak magnetic field.
The magnetic properties of a ferronematic, i.e., a nematic liquid crystal doped with magnetic nanoparticles in low volume concentration are studied, with the focus on the ac magnetic susceptibility. A weak dc bias magnetic field (a few Oe) applied to the ferronematic in its isotropic phase increases the ac magnetic susceptibility considerably. Passage of the isotropic-to-nematic phase transition resets this enhancement irreversibly (unless the dc bias field is applied again in the isotropic phase).
Institute of Experimental Physics, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Watsonová 47, 04001, Košice, Slovakia. nhudak@saske.sk.
Natália
N
Tomašovičová
Institute of Experimental Physics, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Watsonová 47, 04001, Košice, Slovakia. nhudak@saske.sk.
Jozef
J
Kováč
Institute of Continuous Media Mechanics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Ural Branch, Perm, 614013, Russia and Ural Federal University, Ekaterinburg, 620083, Russia.
Yuriy
Y
Raikher
Institute for Solid State Physics and Optics, Wigner Research Center for Physics, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, P. O. Box 49, H-1525, Budapest, Hungary.
Nándor
N
Éber
Institute for Solid State Physics and Optics, Wigner Research Center for Physics, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, P. O. Box 49, H-1525, Budapest, Hungary.
Tibor
T
Tóth-Katona
Institute of Experimental Physics, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Watsonová 47, 04001, Košice, Slovakia. nhudak@saske.sk.
Veronika
V
Gdovinová
Institute of Molecular Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences, 60179, Poznań, Poland.
Jan
J
Jadżyn
Institute of Experimental Physics, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Watsonová 47, 04001, Košice, Slovakia. nhudak@saske.sk.
Richard
R
Pinčák
Institute of Experimental Physics, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Watsonová 47, 04001, Košice, Slovakia. nhudak@saske.sk.
Peter
P
Kopčanský