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Colloquium: Chevron structures in smectic A liquid crystals.

Event Type: 
Colloquium
Speaker: 
Tiziana Giorgi (New Mexico State University)
Event Date: 
Thursday, April 20, 2017 -
3:30pm to 5:00pm
Location: 
SMLC 356
Audience: 
Faculty/StaffStudents

Event Description: 

Title:  Chevron structures in smectic A liquid crystals.

Abstract:

We study the de Gennes free energy for smectic A liquid crystals to understand the chevron pattern formed in the presence of an applied magnetic field. We identify a small parameter $\epsilon$, and investigate via $\Gamma$-convergence the behaviors of the minimizers when the field strength is of order $\mathcal{O}(\epsilon^{-1})$. We also analyze the more general Chen-Lubensky free energy, and obtain an analogous picture. Numerical simulations illustrating the chevron structures for both energies are included. This is joint work with
C. Garcia-Cerveira and S. Joo.

 

Event Contact

Contact Name: Stephen Lau