Open Access Kent State (OAKS)

We study the dynamics of the isotropic-nematic phase transition caused by an applied electric field at the time scales of dielectric relaxation. In the classic Landau-Khalatnikov theory of the phase transition dynamics, the nematic (nonpolar) order parameter is an instantaneous function of the applied field. We demonstrate that, when the field is changing faster than the time of dielectric relaxation, the induced polar order dynamics influences the dynamics of the nonpolar order parameter. We develop a model based on the Langevin equation to describe the simultaneous dynamics of both polar and nonpolar order parameters; the model is supported by experiment.