Concurrence of bulk and surface order reconstruction to the relaxation of frustrated nematics

Applying appropriate electric pulses to a nematic liquid crystal confined between plates, the bulk order reconstruction can occur, a mechanism allowing the switching between topologically different nematic textures without any director rotation. Using a moving mesh finite element method we describe the order tensor dynamics for a nematic inside an asymmetric π-cell, putting in evidence as textural distortions induced by strong asymmetries can be relaxed via both bulk and surface order reconstruction, occurring close to a confining plate with different time duration.