Description
Mathematics Colloquium Talk 2.
Speaker: Apala Majumdar.
Affiliation: University of Bath.
Date and Time: Wednesday 10 July, 4:30 pm - 5:30 pm.
Venue: Room 216, Department of Mathematics.
Title: Solution Landscapes in the Landau-de Gennes Theory for Nematic
Liquid Crystals.
Abstract: Nematic liquid crystals are quintessential examples of soft
matter, intermediate in character between solids and liquids, with
long-range orientational order. We model spatio-temporal pattern formation
for nematic liquid crystals on two-dimensional polygonal geometries, which
are relevant for applications. We work within the powerful continuum
Landau-de Gennes theory for nematic liquid crystals. We illustrate the
complex solution landscapes on square domains as a function of the square
size, temperature and boundary conditions, reporting a novel Well Order
Reconstruction Solution on nnao-scale geometries. We discuss
generalizations to arbitrary 2D polygons, using symmetry-based and
variational techniques to study stable patterns in distinguished
asymptotic limits. We conclude by reviewing recent work on stabilization
of interior vortices by magneto-nematic coupling in ferronematics, which
leads to new possibilities for magneto-mechanical effects in nematic-based
materials. This is joint work with researchers in Peking University,
Shanghai Jiao Tong, IIT Delhi, IIT Bombay, Illinois Technological
University and University of Verona.