Influence of Liquid-Crystal Directors in an Electric Field on Elastic Wave Propagating in Liquid-Crystal Cell

Propagation characteristics of a shear-horizontal (SH) wave in a trilayer structure composed of a liquid-crystal layer sandwiched between two glass plates are examined by numerical analysis and experimental investigation from the viewpoint of the anisotropy of the viscosity. Electric field dependences of the viscosities of two kinds of nematic liquid crystals with positive and negative dielectric anisotropies are related to the SH wave phase velocity. The orientation of the liquid-crystal director is a key factor for affecting the viscosity change. The present technique is promising for evaluating the anisotropy of the viscosity of liquid crystal.