External and intrinsic anchoring in nematic liquid crystals: A Monte Carlo study

We present a Monte Carlo study of external surface anchoring in nematic cells with partially disordered solid substrates, as well as of intrinsic anchoring at free nematic interfaces. The simulations are based on the simple hexagonal lattice model with a spatially anisotropic intermolecular potential. We estimate the corresponding extrapolation length $b$ by imposing an elastic deformation in a hybrid cell-like nematic sample. Our estimates for $b$ increase with increasing surface disorder and are essentially temperature--independent. Experimental values of $b$ are approached only when both the coupling of nematic molecules with the substrate and the anisotropy of nematic--nematic interactions are weak.Comment: Revisions primarily in section I

A new hard-particle model for anisotropic fluids

We report a new hard-particle model system consisting of hard cylinders, we have determined the geometrical conditions that let us know whether or not two given cylinders overlap. In addition we have carried out Monte Carlo simulations sampling the canonical ensemble on this system, the numerical results indicate that this system exhibits mesomorphic behaviour

Topological transition in a two-dimensional model of liquid crystal

Simulations of nematic-isotropic transition of liquid crystals in two dimensions are performed using an O(2) vector model characterised by non linear nearest neighbour spin interaction governed by the fourth Legendre polynomial $P\_4$. The system is studied through standard Finite-Size Scaling and conformal rescaling of density profiles of correlation functions. A topological transition between a paramagnetic phase at high temperature and a critical phase at low temperature is observed. The low temperature limit is discussed in the spin wave approximation and confirms the numerical results

Liquid crystal films on curved surfaces: An entropic sampling study

The confining effect of a spherical substrate inducing anchoring (normal to the surface) of rod-like liquid crystal molecules contained in a thin film spread over it has been investigated with regard to possible changes in the nature of the isotropic-to-nematic phase transition as the sample is cooled. The focus of these Monte Carlo simulations is to study the competing effects of the homeotropic anchoring due to the surface inducing orientational ordering in the radial direction and the inherent uniaxial order promoted by the intermolecular interactions. By adopting entropic sampling procedure, we could investigate this transition with a high temperature precision, and we studied the effect of the surface anchoring strength on the phase diagram for a specifically chosen geometry. We find that there is a threshold anchoring strength of the surface below which uniaxial nematic phase results, and above which the isotropic fluid cools to a radially ordered nematic phase, besides of course expected changes in the phase transition temperature with the anchoring strength. In the vicinity of the threshold anchoring strength we observe a bistable region between these two structures, clearly brought out by the characteristics of the corresponding microstates constituting the entropic ensemble.Comment: 14 pages, 5 figure

High-Temperature series for the RPn−1RP^{n-1} lattice spin model (generalized Maier-Saupe model of nematic liquid crystals) in two space dimensions and with general spin dimensionality n

High temperature series expansions of the spin-spin correlation functions of the RP^{n-1} spin model on the square lattice are computed through order beta^{8} for general spin dimensionality n. Tables are reported for the expansion coefficients of the energy per site, the susceptibility and the second correlation moment.Comment: 6 pages, revtex, IFUM 419/FT, 2 figures not include

Viscosities of the Gay-Berne nematic liquid crystal

We present molecular dynamics simulation measurements of the viscosities of the Gay-Berne phenomenological model of liquid crystals in the nematic and isotropic phases. The temperature dependence of the rotational and shear viscosities, including the nonmonotonic behavior of one shear viscosity are in good agreement with experimental data. The bulk viscosities are significantly larger than the shear viscosities, again in agreement with experiment.Comment: 11 pages, 4 Postscript figures, Revte

Correlations in the Sine-Gordon Model with Finite Soliton Density

We study the sine-Gordon (SG) model at finite densities of the topological charge and small SG interaction constant, related to the one-dimensional Hubbard model near half-filling. Using the modified WKB approach, we find that the spectrum of the Gaussian fluctuations around the classical solution reproduces the results of the Bethe ansatz studies. The modification of the collective coordinate method allows us to write down the action, free from infra-red divergencies. The behaviour of the density-type correlation functions is non-trivial and we demonstrate the existence of leading and sub-leading asymptotes. A consistent definition of the charge-raising operator is discussed. The superconducting-type correlations are shown to decrease slowly at small soliton densities, while the spectral weight of right (left) moving fermions is spread over neighboring "4k_F" harmonics.Comment: 12 pages, 3 eps figures, REVTEX; a discussion of fermions is adde

Defect structures and torque on an elongated colloidal particle immersed in a liquid crystal host

Combining molecular dynamics and Monte Carlo simulation we study defect structures around an elongated colloidal particle embedded in a nematic liquid crystal host. By studying nematic ordering near the particle and the disclination core region we are able to examine the defect core structure and the difference between two simulation techniques. In addition, we also study the torque on a particle tilted with respect to the director, and modification of this torque when the particle is close to the cell wall

Provable first-order transitions for liquid crystal and lattice gauge models with continuous symmetries

We consider various sufficiently nonlinear sigma models for nematic liquid crystal ordering of RP^{N-1} type and of lattice gauge type with continous symmetries. We rigorously show that they exhibit a first-order transition in the temperature. The result holds in dimension 2 or more for the RP^{N-1} models and in dimension 3 or more for the lattice gauge models. In the two-dimensional case our results clarify and solve a recent controversy about the possibility of such transitions. For lattice gauge models our methods provide the first proof of a first-order transition in a model with a continuous gauge symmetry