Reorientation in random potential: A Model for glasslike dynamics in confined liquid crystals

The dynamical behavior of polymer dispersed nematic liquid crystals was studied by quasielastic light scattering. In addition to fast intradroplet orientational fluctuations a slow stretched exponential relaxation with a stretching exponent s similar to 0.2 was observed. This process is modeled with a reorientation of the average director of the droplets in a random potential. The model can be used to describe the glasslike dynamics in similar systems, for example, in silica aerogel filled with liquid crystals.