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The European Physical Journal B
ISSN: 1434-6028 (printed version)
ISSN: 1434-6036 (electronic version)
Abstract Volume 3 Issue 2 (1998) pp 197-202
Stability and vibrations of catenoid-shaped smectic films
M. Ben Amar (1), P.P. da Silva (1), N. Limodin (2), A. Langlois (2), M. Brazovskaia (2), C. Even (2), I.V. Chikina (3) (a), P. Pieranski (2) (b)
(1) CNRS-Laboratoire de Physique Statistique de l'ENS, 24 rue Lhomond, 75231 Paris Cedex 05, France
(2) Laboratoire de Physique des Solides, Université Paris-Sud, Bâtiment 510, 91405 Orsay Cedex, France
(3) Laboratoire Léon Brillouin, CEA Saclay-CNRS, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette Cedex, France
Received: 25 November 1997 / Received in final form: 30 January 1998 / Accepted: 9 March 1998
Abstract: Catenoid-shaped smectic films are spanned between two coaxial circular frames separated by a distance H. It is shown that there exists a critical height H* such that below it two shapes of the catenoid are possible. The stability of these two shapes is analysed in terms of their vibrations. The spectrum of eigenfrequencies is calculated as a function of the catenoid height. It is shown that the frequency of the fundamental mode is real for the stable shape and imaginary for the other shape. Experimental study of vibrational eigenmodes performed on stable SCE4 films confirms this theoretical prediction.
PACS. 61.30.-v Liquid crystals - 62.30.+d Mechanical and elastic waves; vibrations - 03.40.-t Classical mechanics of continuous media: general mathematical aspects
(a) Current address: Institute of Microelectronic Technology of Russian Academy of Science, 142432 Chernogolovka, Russia
(b) email: pawel@lps.u-psud.fr
Article in PDF-Format (594 KB)
Online publication: July 9, 1998
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