Plateau instability of a liquid crystalline cylinder in a magnetic field

The capillary instability of a liquid crystalline cylinder in magnetic field is considered using an energy approach. The boundary problem is solved in the linear approximation of the anisotropy χa of the magnetic susceptibility χ. The effect of anisotropy, in the region 1≫|χ|>|χa|≫χ2, can be strong enough to counteract and even reverse the tendency of the field to enhance stabilization by enlarging the cutoff wave number ks beyond the conventional one set by Rayleigh.