Excitation of regular convective motions in liquids and liquid crystals by an acoustic wave

A possibility of exciting steady convective motions in isotropic and anisotropic liquids under the action of a force produced by the radiation pressure of an acoustic wave with a spatially periodic transverse intensity distribution is investigated theoretically and experimentally. Cells both with two rigid boundaries and with one free surface are studied. The flows lead to reorientation of the director of liquid crystal in the case of anisotropic liquid. As a result, it acquires a periodic distribution in the transverse plane. The phenomenon can be utilized for the imaging of acoustic fields of microwatt power.