Related papers: A Model Problem for Nematic-Isotropic Transitions …
We carry out an asymptotic analysis of a thin nematic liquid crystal in which one elastic constant dominates over the others, namely \begin{align} \label{energyab} \inf E_\varepsilon(u)\quad\mbox{where}\quad E_\varepsilon(u) :=…
Liquid crystal droplets are of great interest from physics and applications. Rigorous mathematical analysis is challenging as the problem involves harmonic maps (and in general the Oseen-Frank model), free interfaces and topological defects…
In this work, we study the nematic-isotropic phase transition based on the dynamics of the Landau--De Gennes theory of liquid crystals. At the critical temperature, the Landau--De Gennes bulk potential favors the isotropic phase and nematic…
A singular potential method in the Q tensor order parameter representation of a nematic liquid crystal is used to study the equilibrium configuration of a disclination dipole. Unlike the well studied isotropic limit (the so called one…
We discuss a model for phase transitions in which a double-well potential is singularly perturbed by possibly several terms involving different, arbitrarily high orders of derivation. We study by $\Gamma$-convergence the asymptotic…
We present a theoretical explanation for the interfacial zigzag instability that appears in anisotropic systems. Such an instability has been experimentally highlighted for an Ising wall formed in a nematic liquid crystal cell under…
We use numerical simulations and linear stability analysis to study the dynamics of an active liquid crystal film on a substrate in the regime where the passive system would be isotropic. Extensile activity builds up local orientational…
When liquid-crystalline elastomers pass through the isotropic-nematic transition, the orientational order parameter and the elastic strain vary rapidly but smoothly, without the expected first-order discontinuity. This broadening of the…
We consider a family of linearly elastic shells with thickness $2\varepsilon$ (where $\varepsilon$ is a small parameter). The shells are clamped along a portion of their lateral face, all having the same middle surface $S$, and may enter in…
The transition from a nematic to an isotropic state in a self-closing spherical liquid crystal shell with tangential alignment is a stimulating phenomenon to investigate, as the topology dictates that the shell exhibits local isotropic…
We investigate the asymptotic behavior as $\varepsilon \to 0$ of singularly perturbed phase transition models of order $n \geq 2$, given by \begin{align} G_\varepsilon^{\lambda,n}[u] := \int_I \frac 1\varepsilon W(u)…
A number of important results of studying large deformations of hyper-elastic shells are obtained using discrete methods of mathematical physics. In the present paper, using the variational method for solving nonlinear boundary problems of…
Linear defects such as dislocations and disclinations in ordered materials attract foreign particles since they replace strong elastic distortions at the defect cores. In this work, we explore the behavior of isotropic droplets nucleating…
Given a smooth bounded domain $\Omega$ in $\mathbb{R}^2$, we study the following anisotropic Neumann problem $$ \begin{cases} -\nabla(a(x)\nabla u)+a(x)u=\lambda a(x) u^{p-1}e^{u^p},\,\,\,\, u>0\,\,\,\,\, \textrm{in}\,\,\,\,\,…
Nematic drops suspended in the isotropic phase of the same substance were subjected to alternating electrical fields of varying frequency. The system was carefully kept in the isotropic-nematic coexistance region, which was broadened due to…
We demonstrate that a first order isotropic-to-nematic phase transition in liquid crystals can be succesfully modeled within the generalized Landau-de Gennes theory by selecting an appropriate combination of elastic constants. The numerical…
We review and compare recent work on the properties of fluctuating interfaces between nematic and isotropic liquid-crystalline phases. Molecular dynamics and Monte Carlo simulations have been carried out for systems of ellipsoids and hard…
Disclination configurations of a nematic liquid crystal are studied within a self-consistent molecular field theory. The theory is based on a tensor order parameter, and can accommodate anisotropic elastic energies without the known…
We explore the structure of nuclei and topological defects in the first-order phase transition between the nematic (N) and isotropic (I) phases in lyotropic chromonic liquid crystals (LCLCs). The LCLCs are formed by self-assembled molecular…
The Landau theory of phase transitions has been productively applied to phase transitions that involve rotational symmetry breaking, such as the transition from an isotropic fluid to a nematic liquid crystal. It even can be applied to the…