Field-induced dynamics and structures in a cholesteric-blue-phase cell

We investigate numerically the relaxational dynamics of the orientational order of a cholesteric blue phase (BP) in a planar cell enforcing normal alignment in response to the application and cessation of an external electric field. We focus on the cases where blue phase I (BP I) is stable in the bulk. We show how the reorganization processes of the network of disclinations depend on the field strength and the history of the application of the field. We also demonstrate that the relaxation processes following the cessation of the field are particularly complex and depend sensitively on the profile of the orientational order before the cessation of the field.