Asymptotics for isotropic-nematic interface problems in liquid crystals

2023.12.14 9:30 腾讯会议635-809-662

Liquid crystal is a state of matter between liquid and solid, in which molecules tend to align in a preferred direction. There are several phases in liquid crystals, and the most common one is the nematic phase, in which the molecules have orientational order but no positional order. When the temperature is high, the molecules will form an isotropic fluid that lacks both orientational and positional orders.

In this talk, we will discuss the asymptotic behavior of the isotropic-nematic interface when the phase transition happens at the critical temperature by using the Landau-de Gennes Q-tensor framework. We will show how the anisotropic elasticity affects the interface tension and the alignment condition of the nematic molecules on the interface. Both static and dynamic problems will be considered.