Liquid Crystals

Liquid Crystals

by Pawel Pieranski, Maria Helena Godinho
Released August 2021
Publisher(s): Wiley-ISTE
ISBN: 9781789450408

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Book description

This book on liquid crystals reports on the new perspectives that have been brought about by the recent expansion of frontiers and overhaul of common beliefs.

First, it explores the interaction of light with mesophases, when the light or matter is endowed with topological defects. It goes on to show how electrophoresis, electro-osmosis and the swimming of flagellated bacteria are affected by the anisotropic properties of liquid crystals.

It also reports on the recent progress in the understanding of thermomechanical and thermohydrodynamical effects in cholesterics and deformed nematics and refutes the common belief that these effects could explain Lehmann’s observations of the rotation of cholesteric droplets subjected to a temperature gradient. It then studies the physics of the dowser texture, which has remarkable properties. This is of particular interest in regards to nematic monopoles, which can easily be generated, set into motion and collided within it.

Finally, this book deals with the spontaneous emergence of chirality in nematics made of achiral molecules, and provides a brief historical context of chirality

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright
  4. Preface
  5. 1 Singular Optics of Liquid Crystal Defects
    1. 1.1. Prelude from carrots
    2. 1.2. Liquid crystals, optics and defects: a long-standing trilogy
    3. 1.3. Polarization optics of liquid crystals: basic ingredients
    4. 1.4. Liquid crystal reorientation under external fields
    5. 1.5. Customary optics from liquid crystal defects
    6. 1.6. From regular to singular optics
    7. 1.7. Advent of self-engineered singular optical elements enabled by liquid crystals defects
    8. 1.8. Singular optical functions based on defects: a decade of advances
    9. 1.9. Emerging optical functionalities enabled by liquid crystal defects
    10. 1.10. Conclusion
    11. 1.11. References
  6. 2 Control of Micro-Particles with Liquid Crystals
    1. 2.1. Introduction
    2. 2.2. Control of micro-particles by liquid crystal-enabled electrokinetics
    3. 2.3. Controlled dynamics of microswimmers in nematic liquid crystals
    4. 2.4. Conclusion
    5. 2.5. Acknowledgments
    6. 2.6. References
  7. 3 Thermomechanical Effects in Liquid Crystals
    1. 3.1. Introduction
    2. 3.2. The Ericksen–Leslie equations
    3. 3.3. Molecular dynamics simulations of the thermomechanical effect
    4. 3.4. Experimental evidence of the thermomechanical effect
    5. 3.5. The thermohydrodynamical effect
    6. 3.6. Conclusions and perspectives
    7. 3.7. References
  8. 4 Physics of the Dowser Texture
    1. 4.1. Introduction
    2. 4.2. Generation of the dowser texture
    3. 4.3. Flow-assisted homeotropic ⇒ dowser transition
    4. 4.4. Rheotropism
    5. 4.5. Cuneitropism, solitary 2π-walls
    6. 4.6. Electrotropism
    7. 4.7. Electro-osmosis
    8. 4.8. Dowser texture as a natural universe of nematic monopoles
    9. 4.9. Motions of dowsons in a wound up dowser field
    10. 4.10. Collisions of dowsons
    11. 4.11. Motions of dowsons in homogeneous fields
    12. 4.12. Stabilization of dowsons systems by inhomogeneous fields with defects
    13. 4.13. Dowser field submitted to boundary conditions with more complex geometries and topologies
    14. 4.14. Flow-induced bowson-dowson transformation
    15. 4.15. Instability of the dowson’s d- position in the stagnation point
    16. 4.16. Appendix 1: equation of motion of the dowser field
    17. 4.17. References
  9. 5 Spontaneous Emergence of Chirality
    1. 5.1. Introduction
    2. 5.2. Chirality: a historical tour
    3. 5.3. Concluding remarks
    4. 5.4. Acknowledgments
    5. 5.5. References
  10. List of Authors
  11. Index
  12. End User License Agreement

Product information

  • Title: Liquid Crystals
  • Author(s): Pawel Pieranski, Maria Helena Godinho
  • Release date: August 2021
  • Publisher(s): Wiley-ISTE
  • ISBN: 9781789450408