Колоквиум на ФМИ, 02.05.2019

На 2 май 2019 г. от 17:00 часа в Заседателната зала на ФМИ ще се проведе поредната сбирка на Колоквиума на ФМИ. Лекция ще изнеси д-р Apala Majumdar от Университета в Бат, Великобритания. 

Title:  Pattern Formation in Confined Nematic Liquid Crystals
Speaker: Dr Apala Majumdar (Reader in Applied Mathematics, University of Bath, United Kingdom)

Abstract: Nematic liquid crystals are classical examples of mesophases that have physical properties intermediate between those of conventional solids and liquids. Nematics are anisotropic liquids with long-range orientational order, with distinguished directions. Consequently, nematics have directional properties, making them suitable working materials  for several opto-electronic devices and the multi-billion dollar display industry. In this colloquium, we discuss the hierarchy of continuum theories for nematics - the Oseen-Frank, the Ericksen and the Landau-de Gennes theories and illustrate their predictive powers by reviewing recent work on pattern formation in square wells filled with nematic liquid crystals, driven by geometrical, topological and energetic considerations. We discuss pattern formation in different asymptotic limits, with emphasis on multistability and the stabilizing/de-stabilizing effects of nematic defects and how this can lead to new optical and mechanical responses.