Related papers: Geometric frustration and compatibility conditions…
Within the framework of continuum theory, we draw a parallel between ferromagnetic materials and nematic liquid crystals confined on curved surfaces, which are both characterized by local interaction and anchoring potentials. We show that…
Dimensionality is a critical factor in determining the properties of solids and is an apparent built-in character of the crystal structure. However, it can be an emergent and tunable property in geometrically frustrated spin systems. Here,…
Integer winding disclinations are unstable in a nematic and are removed by an `escape into the third dimension', resulting in a non-singular texture. This process is frustrated in a cholesteric material due to the requirement of maintaining…
Considerable recent attention has been given to the study of shape formation using modern responsive materials that can be preprogrammed to undergo spatially inhomogeneous local deformations. In particular, nematic liquid crystal polymer…
We study nematic equilibria in an unbounded domain, with a two-dimensional regular polygonal hole with $K$ edges, in a reduced Landau-de Gennes framework. This complements our previous work on the "interior problem" for nematic equilibria…
Geometric frustration is a broad phenomenon that results from an intrinsic incompatibility between some fundamental interactions and the underlying lattice geometry1-7. Geometric frustration gives rise to new fundamental phenomena and is…
We generalize the shape optimization problem for the existence of stable equilibrium configurations of nematic and cholesteric liquid crystal drops surrounded by an isotropic solution to include a broader family of admissible domains with…
Topological defects -- locations of local mismatch of order -- are a universal concept playing important roles in diverse systems studied in physics and beyond, including the universe, various condensed matter systems, and recently, even…
We study low-temperature properties of the $XY$ spin model on a negatively curved surface. Geometric curvature of the surface gives rise to frustration in local spin configuration, which results in the formation of high-energy spin clusters…
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…
Given a distribution of defects on a structured surface, such as those represented by 2-dimensional crystalline materials, liquid crystalline surfaces, and thin sandwiched shells, what is the resulting stress field and the deformed shape?…
Grain boundaries in extremely confined colloidal smectics possess a topological fine structure with coexisting nematic and tetratic symmetry of the director field. An alternative way to approach the problem of smectic topology is via the…
Traditional frustration arises from the conflict between the spin alignments due to the geometry or the nature of the interactions. Here, we demonstrate a novel form of frustration, dubbed ``emergent frustration'', which is induced by the…
We investigate the possibility to control the symmetry of ordered states in phase-field crystal models by tuning nonlinear resonances. In two dimensions, we find that a state of square symmetry as well as coexistence between squares and…
As an instance of geometrical frustration with non-magnetic degrees of freedom, we explore the physics of local spin $S\geq 1$ moments on the pyrochlore lattice that interact via pure quadrupolar couplings. In the presence of spin-orbit…
We have studied the nucleation and the physical properties of a -1/2 wedge disclination line near the free surface of a confined nematic liquid crystal. The position of the disclination line has been related to the material parameters…
The concept of geometrical frustration in condensed matter physics refers to the fact that a system has a locally preferred structure with an energy density lower than the infinite ground state. This notion is however often used in a…
A new method to characterize the strength of magnetic frustration is proposed by calculating the minimum dimensionality of the absolute ground states of the classical nearest-neighbor antiferromagnetic $n$-vector model with arbitrary $n$.…
We use lattice Boltzmann simulations of the Beris--Edwards formulation of nematodynamics to probe the response of a nematic liquid crystal with conflicting anchoring at the boundaries under shear and Poiseuille flow. The geometry we focus…
We study the organization of topological defects in a system of nematogens confined to the two-dimensional sphere (S^2). We first perform Monte Carlo simulations of a fluid system of hard rods (spherocylinders) living in the tangent plane…