Julia Yeomans OBE FRS

Abstract:

A study was conducted on the growth of a domain of a nematic liquid crystal at the expense of a second domain with a different director orientation. As such, defects form at the walls between domains and their dynamics was vital in controlling the rate of growth. It was found that a spatial anisotropy in domain growth can result from backflow and discuss how the wall speed varies with the material parameters of the liquid crystal the geometry and the surface properties of the confining cell, and an external electric field.

Abstract:

We study the growth of aligned domains in nematic liquid crystals. Results are obtained solving the Beris-Edwards equations of motion using the lattice Boltzmann approach. Spatial anisotropy in the domain growth is shown to be a consequence of the flow induced by the changing order parameter field (backflow). The generalization of the results to the growth of a cylindrical domain, which involves the dynamics of a defect ring, is discussed.