Abstract
A new instability in the convective roll structure of a nematic subjected to an AC electric field is presented. It brings a new structure characterized by a periodic pinching of the rolls along their axis. This structure has features similar to those of the so-called skewed varicose in the Rayleigh-Bénard convection of isotropic fluids. The study of the streamlines shows that the pinching creates a new rotation mode and that this is the first important step in the disorganization of a convective flow before the onset of chaos

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