Soft Matter Theory & Simulations Group

PRE: Liq. Cryst.

• Liquid crystal distortions revealed by an octupolar tensor
  Author(s): Andrea Pedrini and Epifanio G. VirgaThe classical theory of liquid crystal elasticity as formulated by Oseen and Frank describes the (orientable) optic axis of these soft materials by a director $\mathbit{n}$. The ground state is attained when $\mathbit{n}$ is uniform in space; all other states, which have a nonvanishing gradient $\ma...[Phys. Rev […]
• Coarse-grained model of the nematic twist-bend phase from a stable state elastic energy
  Author(s): M. P. Rosseto, L. R. Evangelista, P. S. Simonário, and R. S. ZolaThe twist-bend nematic (${N}_{\mathrm{TB}}$) phase is a doubly degenerated heliconical structure with nanometric pitch and spontaneous bend and twist deformations. It is favored by symmetry-breaking molecular structures, such as bent dimers and bent-core molecules, and it is currentl […]
• Pseudopolar smectic-$C$ phases of azo-substituted achiral bent-core hockey-stick-shaped molecules
  Author(s): Deepshika Malkar, M. Monika, Veena Prasad, and Arun RoyWe report experimental studies on an azo-substituted compound consisting of bent-core hockey-stick-shaped molecules. The experimental results establish two pseudopolar tilted smectic phases, which are characterized by an in-plane axial-vector order parameter in addition to tilt order in the sm […]
• Multiple minimum-energy paths and scenarios of unwinding transitions in chiral nematic liquid crystals
  Author(s): Semen S. Tenishchev, Alexei D. Kiselev, Aleksei V. Ivanov, and Valery M. UzdinWe apply the minimum-energy paths (MEPs) approach to study the helix unwinding transition in chiral nematic liquid crystals. A mechanism of the transition is determined by a MEP passing through a first order saddle point on the free energy surface. The energy difference […]
• Generalized van der Waals theory for phase behavior of two-dimensional nematic liquid crystals: Phase ordering and the equation of state
  Author(s): María Virginia Zonta and Ezequiel Rodolfo SouléLiquid crystalline ordering of anisotropic particles in two dimensions is important in many physical and biological systems and their phase behavior is still a topic of interest. A generalized van der Waals theory is formulated, accounting for repulsive excluded volume and attractive van der Waals a.. […]
• Temperature control of nematicon trajectories
  Author(s): Gaetano Assanto, Cassandra Khan, Armando Piccardi, and Noel F. SmythWhen a light beam propagates through a nematic liquid crystal, it heats the material and the resulting change in temperature in turn affects the propagation of the light. The authors propose a theory that reduces the mathematical complexity using several physical assumptions, and […]
• Thermotropic liquid crystal (5CB) on two-dimensional materials
  Author(s): Paul A. Brown, Sean A. Fischer, Jakub Kołacz, Christopher Spillmann, and Daniel GunlyckeWe present ground-state electronic properties of the liquid crystal 4-cyano-${4}^{′}$-pentylbiphenyl (5CB) on the two-dimensional materials monolayer graphene, hexagonal boron nitride, and phosphorene. Our density functional theory results show that the physiso […]
• Helicoids in chiral liquid crystals under external fields
  Author(s): G. De Matteis, L. Martina, C. Naya, and V. TurcoCholesteric liquid crystals, subject to externally applied magnetic fields and confined between two parallel planar surfaces with strong homeotropic anchoring conditions, are found to undergo transitions to different types of helicoidal configurations with disclinations. Analytical and numerical stu. […]
• Elucidation of the de Vries behavior in terms of the orientational order parameter, apparent tilt angle, and field-induced tilt angle for smectic liquid crystals by polarized infrared spectroscopy
  Author(s): Neelam Yadav, V. Swaminathan, V. P. Panov, R. Dhar, and J. K. VijWe report experimental results of the orientational order parameter, the apparent tilt angle, and the field-induced tilt angle for three chiral smectic liquid crystalline materials investigated using infrared (IR) polarized spectroscopy. The common feature in these materials is use o […]
• Chiral nematic liquid crystals in torus-shaped and cylindrical cavities
  Author(s): Charlie R. Wand and Martin A. BatesWe present a Monte Carlo simulation study of chiral nematic liquid crystals confined in torus-shaped and cylindrical cavities. For an achiral nematic with planar degenerate anchoring confined to a toroidal or cylindrical cavity, the ground state is defect free, with an untwisted director field. As c...[Phys. Rev. […]