The director-density coupling theory has been proposed to describe the acousto-optic effect in nematic liquid crystals. On the basis of this theory, we make predictions for an experimental test using two superimposed ultrasonic waves. As a result of the analysis, low-frequency oscillations of the director and optical transparency are predicted to occur around their mean values. The possibility of either verifying or invalidating this prediction is important in order to distinguish the theory from other competitive ones.

• Received 8 October 2012

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.86.061702