Structures and Structural Phase Transitions in Confined Liquid Crystal Systems
نویسنده
چکیده
Discussed are two numerical packages for computing equilibrium structures of liquid crystals. The first uses Frank elasticity in a rectangular geometry in two spatial dimensions. The second uses a tensor order parameter and Landau-deGennes free energy in the geometry of a finite circular cylinder. The Frank code is being used to study the phenomenon of the “stripe phase” in thin nematic films in the bendFréedericksz geometry. The cylinder code is being used to investigate configurations in liquid crystals confined in microscopic cylindrical pores subject to homeotropic anchoring conditions. Preliminary results of these projects are presented.
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