Optically induced chaotic behavior in nematic liquid-crystal films

Abstract

In this paper we report the dynamical behavior occurring in a nematic liquid-crystal film during the optically induced molecular reorientation. The system at first undergoes an incomplete period-doubling cascade, then a biperiodic regime appears, and finally a transition to a chaotic regime occurs. This sequence is experimental evidence of a physical system that mixes two different routes for the transition to a chaotic regime.