The thermal oscillatory instability in a homeotropic nematic : an inverse bifurcation

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Abstract
By means of standard approximations, using free-free boundary conditions, we show that the oscillatory instability of a homeotropic liquid crystal heated from below is an inverse bifurcation. This confirms Lekkerkerker's prediction for this particular system. The influence of a vertical magnetic field on the transition is also considered as well as the lifetime of the metastable state which may develop above the linear threshold