Related papers: Defects in Nematic Shells: a $\Gamma$-convergence …
We investigate asymptotic convergence in the~$\Delta x \!\rightarrow\! 0$ limit as a tool for determining whether numerical computations involving shocks are accurate. We use one-dimensional operator-split finite-difference schemes for…
Topological defects in nematically aligned cell populations play a critical role in modulating collective motion, from microbial colonies to epithelial tissues. Despite the potential of manipulating such topological defects to control…
On a two-dimensional Riemannian manifold without boundary we consider the variational limit of a family of functionals given by the sum of two terms: a Ginzburg-Landau and a perimeter term. Our scaling allows low-energy states to be…
We employ quench dynamics as an effective tool to probe different universality classes of topological phase transitions. Specifically, we study a model encompassing both Dirac-like and nodal loop criticalities. Examining the Kibble-Zurek…
We study equilibrium configurations of non-Euclidean plates, in which the reference metric is uniaxially periodic. This work is motivated by recent experiments on thin sheets of composite thermally responsive gels [1]. Such sheets bend…
Using $\Gamma$-convergence arguments, we construct a nonlinear membrane-like Cosserat shell model on a curvy reference configuration starting from a geometrically nonlinear, physically linear three-dimensional isotropic Cosserat model. Even…
Lattices with a basis can host crystallographic defects which share the same topological charge (e.g.~the Burgers vector $\vec b$ of a dislocation) but differ in their microscopic structure of the core. We demonstrate that in insulators…
The density of extended topological defects created during symmetry-breaking phase transitions depends on the ratio between the correlation length in the symmetric phase near $T_c$ and the winding length of the defects as determined by the…
We perform the discrete-to-continuum limit passage for a microscopic model describing the time evolution of dislocations in a one dimensional setting. This answers the related open question raised by Geers et al. in [GPPS13]. The proof of…
In the context of finite elasticity, we propose plate models describing the spontaneous bending of nematic elastomer thin films due to variations along the thickness of the nematic order parameters. Reduced energy functionals are deduced…
We use molecular dynamics to study the ordering of a nematic liquid crystal around a spherical particle or droplet. Homeotropic boundary conditions and strong anchoring create a hedgehog director configuration on the particle surface and in…
In these lectures, I review cosmological phase transitions and the topological aspects of spontaneous symmetry breaking. I then discuss the formation of walls, strings and monopoles during phase transitions including lattice based studies…
We study the dynamics of topological defects in continuum theories governed by a free energy minimization principle, building on our recently developed framework [Romano J, Mahault B and Golestanian R 2023 J. Stat. Mech.: Theory Exp.…
The nature of defects in amorphous materials, analogous to vacancies and dislocations in crystals, remains elusive. Here we explore their nature in a three-dimensional microscopic model glass-former which describes granular, colloidal,…
Conformal defects -- extended objects in conformal field theories -- carry localised excitations inherited from symmetry currents, known as the displacements and tilts. They capture the linear response of the defect to deformations of its…
We consider a system of parallel straight edge dislocations and we analyse its asymptotic behaviour in the limit of many dislocations. The dislocations are represented by points in a plane, and they are arranged in vertical walls; each wall…
Disclinations or disclination clusters in smectic C freely suspended films with topological charges larger than one are unstable. They disintegrate, preferably in a spatially symmetric fashion, into single defects with individual charges…
Patterns and waves are basic and important phenomena that govern the dynamics of physical and biological systems. A common theme in investigating such systems is to identify the intrinsic factors responsible for such self-organization. The…
The XY model with quenched random phase shifts is studied by a T=0 finite size defect energy scaling method in 2d and 3d. The defect energy is defined by a change in the boundary conditions from those compatible with the true ground state…
The Ericksen model for nematic liquid crystals couples a director field with a scalar degree of orientation variable, and allows the formation of various defects with finite energy. We propose a simple but novel finite element approximation…