Elastic Constants of Nematic Liquid Crystals I. Theory of the Normal Deformation

We present a theoretical treatment and give experimental observations of the deformation that occurs in a nematic liquid crystal when electric or magnetic fields are applied. We consider only normal deformations in the nematic material where fluid flow and other dynamic phenomena play no role. Three important sample geometries are considered in the magnetic field, and the experimentally observed deformations are in good agreement with theory. The normal deformation induced by electric fields is of interest from a device standpoint, and we give a solution for the deformation that is valid even for large dielectric anisotropics. This solution has been experimentally verified. We give a detailed comparison of the distortions produced by electric and magnetic fields and show that the deformations are of a similar form even though the field is nonuniform in the electric case. The change in birefringence and electrical capacitance as a function of distortion is discussed as a means of observing the deformation.