Second-sound waves in nematic polymer solutions

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Abstract
We show that the hydrodynamics in nematic polymer solutions (NPS) is substantially different from that in nematics of low-molecular-weight molecules (NLMM). In NPS, the diffusive splay-bend wave in NLMM is replaced by a propagating second sound that has only been known to exist in spatially ordered liquid crystals. This property is caused by two combined effects in NPS: (a) the coupling between the nematic director and the polymer concentration; (b) the additional solvent component. Recent experimental results suggest that the second sound can be measured in NPS.

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