Flow effect in the chiral-homeotropic liquid-crystal cell

We investigated the dynamics of the chiral-homeotropic liquid-crystal cell and found that the flow of liquid crystal causes an optical bounce after switching on a high applied voltage. We analyzed the behavior of the directors by computer simulation and found that the field-induced backflow effect results in the abnormal twist of the directors near the substrates. The abnormal twist slows down the rising speed of the chiral-homeotropic cell and produces an optical bounce during the rising period. Our results indicate that the backflow effect should be considered on the design of fast chiral-homeotropic liquid-crystal cells. The significant distinctions between this field-induced optical bounce and the well-known optical bounce of the twisted nematic liquid-crystal cell are also described in this letter. (C) 1999 American Institute of Physics. [S0003-6951(99)04148-0].