Related papers: Liquid-Crystal Transitions: A First Principles Mul…
A new phase field crystal (PFC) type theory is presented, which accounts for the full spectrum of solid-liquid-vapor phase transitions within the framework of a single density order parameter. Its equilibrium properties show the most…
The optical properties of liquid crystals serve as the basis for display, diagnostic, and sensing technologies. Such properties are generally controlled by relying on electric fields. In this work, we investigate the effects of microfluidic…
A model of the premelting fluctuations is proposed, based on the Landau mean field theory applied to a first-order phase transition. Using the thermodynamic potential, the nonlinear Langevin equation for the order parameter is formulated,…
Liquid crystals are assemblies of rod-like molecules which self-organize to form mesophases, in-between ordinary liquids and anisotropic crystals. At each point, the molecules collectively orient themselves along a privileged direction,…
This paper looks at the early theory of phase transitions. It considers a group of related concepts derived from condensed matter and statistical physics. The key technical ideas here go under the names of "singularity", "order parameter",…
We present experimental evidence for a first-order freezing/melting phase transition in a nonequilibrium system -- an oscillated two-dimensional isobaric granular fluid. The steady-state transition occurs between a gas and a crystal and is…
The theory of the effect of external fluctuation force on the stability and spatial distribution of mutually interacting and slowly evaporating charged drops, levitated in an electrodynamic balance, is presented using classical…
We review a theoretical perspective of the dynamics of glass forming liquids and the glass transition. It is a perspective we have developed with our collaborators during this decade. It is based upon the structure of trajectory space. This…
Langevin (stochastic differential) equations are routinely used to describe particle-laden flows. They predict Gaussian probability density functions (PDFs) of a particle's trajectory and velocity, even though experimentally observed…
A longstanding question in water research is the possibility that supercooled liquid water can undergo a liquid-liquid phase transition (LLT) into high- and low-density liquids. We used several complementary molecular simulation techniques…
We propose a microscopic, first-principles description of the ionic conduction in crystals. This formalism allows us to gain new insights into the ideal characteristics of general ionic conducting materials and, in particular, solid…
The striking anomalies in physical properties of supercooled water that were discovered in the 1960-70s, remain incompletely understood and so provide both a source of controversy amongst theoreticians, and a stimulus to experimentalists…
A continuum theory of partially fluidized granular flows is developed. The theory is based on a combination of the equations for the flow velocity and shear stresses coupled with the order parameter equation which describes the transition…
Liquid crystals in two dimensions do not support long-ranged nematic order, but a quasi-nematic phase where the orientational correlations decay algebraically is possible. The transition from the isotropic to the quasi-nematic phase can be…
A molecular theory of the glass transition of network forming liquids is developed using a combination of self-consistent phonon and liquid state approaches. Both the dynamical transition and the entropy crisis characteristic of random…
Experimental and modeling/simulation studies of phase equilibrium and growth morphologies of novel polymer-dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) mixtures of PS (polystyrene) and liquid crystals that exhibit a direct isotropic/smectic-A (lamellar)…
A canonical ensemble model is used to describe a caloric curve of nuclear liquid-gas phase transition. Allowing a discontinuity in the freeze out density from one spinodal density to another for a given initial temperature, the nuclear…
We propose a simple theory for the dynamics of model glass-forming fluids, which should be solvable using a mean-field-like approach. The theory is based on transparent physical assumptions, which can be tested in computer simulations. The…
The paper is concerned with various issues surrounding the mathematical description of defects in models of liquid crystals, drawing on experience from solid mechanics. The roles played by a suitable choice of function space and by the…
Liquid-gas phase transition in statistical mechanics is a long-standing dilemma not yet well explained. In this paper we propose a novel approach to this dilemma, by: 1). Putting forth a new space homogeneity assumption. 2). Giving a new…