Linear
and nonlinear Nusselt number measurements during
electroconvection
of a liquid crystal.
J.T. Gleeson
Kent State University
Energy transport measurements, as quantified by the Nusselt number
are shown to be a detailed, quantitative and accurate technique for characterizing
electroconvection of nematic liquid crystals.
This method is not only a all-purpose tool for identifying bifurcations
and other transitions, but also offers a powerful discriminator for testing competing
models describing the underlying mechanisms of electroconvection. In this talk, we present experimental results
on a variety of different electroconvection experiments. We show how these measurements
can yield direct insight into the nonlinearities present in electroconvective
flow, and discuss challenges for future experiments.