Photoinduced thermomechanical effect in homogeneous nematics

A laser-induced thermomechanical hydrodynamic flow is theoretically predicted and experimentally detected in a horizontal layer of a nematic liquid crystal with a homogeneous distribution of the director in the presence of vertical temperature gradient. This effect is caused by the gradient in the director distribution (which is necessary for the usual thermomechanical effect) produced by the light field due to photoinduced Freedericksz transition.