New method of determination of the Fr\'eedericksz threshold based upon precise fluctuation measurement

Abstract

In this paper we report a new method for determining the critical threshold of the Fr\'eedericksz transition driven by an electric field. It is based on the measurement of the amplitude of the molecule fluctuations as a function of the voltage difference applied to a planar nematic cell. The precise measurement of the director fluctuations of the liquid crystal is made possible by the use of a very precise and sensitive polarization interferometer. The great advantage of the method is that it does not depend on complex fits as it is usually done in literature.