Locking of periodic patterns in Cahn-Hilliard models for Langmuir-Blodgett transfer.

The influence of a periodic spatial forcing on the pattern formation in a generalized Cahn-Hilliard model describing Langmuir-Blodgett transfer is studied. The occurring locking effects enable a control mechanism for the pattern formation process. In the one-dimensional case the parameter range in which patterns are created is increased and the patterns' properties can be adjusted in a broader range. In two dimensions, one-dimensional stripe patterns can be destabilized, giving rise to a multitude of complex two-dimensional structures, including oblique and lattice patterns.