The transition mechanism of the transient planar to planar director configuration change in cholesteric liquid crystal displays

In cholesteric liquid crystals with a positive dielectric anisotropy, the r elaxation from the electric field-aligned director configuration to the sta ble zero field director configuration proceeds via a metastable transient p lanar director configuration which has a pitch distinct from the equilibriu m state. The transition from the transient planar to the equilibrium zero-f ield state is shown here to occur via a Helfrich-type instability which con tinuously leads to an in-plane helical structure. The equilibrium planar st ate is then seen to grow continuously from the in-plane state, leaving behi nd walls whose length then spontaneously shrinks.