Abstract :
Unlike Lego bricks that perfectly assemble next to one another, in many molecular assemblies, and in particular in many liquid crystals, some misfit is almost always present. The constituents of such structures must distort in order to fit next to one another resulting in geometrically frustrated structures that possess no stress-free rest state. The elastic behavior of such structures is thus best described through intrinsic geometric quantities describing the possibly mutually contradicting local geometric tendencies.
In this talk, I will discuss the notion of compatibility, geometric frustration and the intrinsic approach as it arises in two-dimensional liquid crystals. I will show that the intrinsic approach allows to identify frustrated states, and predicts the energetic cost associated with the necessary compromises in their ground states. Moreover, the intrinsic approach also allows us to solve inverse design problems that were previously inaccessible analytically. I will conclude by surveying recent generalizations to three dimensional liquid crystals and their implications.
Zoom
3:20 pm (est)
Wednesday, February 23, 2022
https://zoom.us/j/97128673317?pwd=VFlKeTljSjFIMlFTcC9oNi80SjQ1UT09
Meeting ID: 971 2867 3317
Passcode: 2022