Stochastic & Multiscale Modeling and Computation Seminar by Apala Majumdar: Survey of Solution Landscapes for Two-Dimensional Confined Nematic Liquid Crystals

Speaker:  

Apala Majumdar, University of Strathclyde Glasgow
 

Title:

Survey of Solution Landscapes for Two-Dimensional Confined Nematic Liquid Crystals

Description:

Nematic liquid crystals are quintessential examples of partially ordered materials that combine fluidity with the orientational order or directionality of solids. Nematics have long been the working material of choice for a range of electro-optic devices and there are now new applications in nano-sciences, biomimetic materials, metamaterials, polymers and artificial intelligence, to name a few.

We survey some recent work on the mathematical modelling, analysis and simulations of nematic liquid crystals confined to two-dimensional geometries, that mimic thin systems. We work within the celebrated Landau-de Gennes theory for nematic liquid crystals and illustrate how the geometry, boundary conditions and material properties tailor the solution landscapes of these confined systems, with emphasis on the multiplicity of stable solutions and their singular sets. The singular sets act as distinguished sites for materials design and responses, and we conclude by reviewing some modelling of recent experimental work on nematic shells. All collaborations will be acknowledged throughout the talk.

Joining Instructions: 

https://iit-edu.zoom.us/j/89484709359?pwd=SU92NGZWeDdtM3JIaWpvbWxuUVdtUT09
Meeting ID: 894 8470 9359
Passcode: 365404

Stochastic & Multiscale Modeling and Computation

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