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Elastic multipoles in the field of the nematic director distortions

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Abstract.

Theory of the interaction between all types of elastic dipoles and quadrupoles and distortions of the nematic director is presented. If a particle is small relative to the characteristic distortion length, the interaction is determined by the director derivatives at the particle location. We consider a spherical particle since, even under the standard assumptions of the multipole theory (weak deformations, one constant approximation), the problem can be solved analytically only in this case. Different dipoles interact with different distortion modes (e.g., isotropic dipole interacts with the splay, chiral dipole with the twist, and so on). In the main order, the interaction of a dipole is linear in the director derivatives, and the interaction of a quadrupole is linear in the second-order director derivatives. The theory goes beyond the main-order terms and predicts an effective distortion-induced dipolar component on a particle. This effect is described by the free energy term quadratic in the director derivatives and has contributions both of a bulk and surface origin. The bulk effect takes place even if the director at the particle surface is fixed, whereas the surface effect appears if the surface director is perturbed by the distortions due to a weak surface anchoring. The theory is illustrated by simple examples of the interaction of elastic dipoles with a disclination line, with cholesteric spiral, and with the director distortions in a hybrid cell.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Physics, prospect Nauki, 46, 03039, Kiev, Ukraine

    V. M. Pergamenshchik

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Correspondence to V. M. Pergamenshchik.

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Pergamenshchik, V.M. Elastic multipoles in the field of the nematic director distortions. Eur. Phys. J. E 37, 121 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1140/epje/i2014-14121-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1140/epje/i2014-14121-3

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