Stabilizing effect of elasticity is not enough to resolve discrepancies in observations concerning a moving nematic-isotropic interface

摘要

The standard theory describing the shape instability of a moving nematic-isotropic interface during the directional ``solidification'' of a liquid crystal disagrees with experiment by a factor of 100. We consider the stabilizing effect of the elasticity in the nematic phase and conclude that while it reduces the discrepancy, it cannotfully account for the experimental observations. The disagreement between theory and experiment remains unexplained.