On a nonlinear elastic shell system in liquid
crystal theory
Professor
C. Rogers
The
An elastic membrane model of smectic A liquid crystal
deformation is investigated. The well-determined nature of the resulting
nonlinear model equations reveals that the deformed states of the liquid
crystal lamellae can only adopt privileged geometries. These are shown to
generalize classical and novel ‘integrable’
geometries associated with Willmore, linear
Weingarten and ‘membrane’ O surfaces. The main result establishes that,
remarkably, the membrane model admits layered parallel Dupin
cyclide structures of the kind originally observed by
Friedel and Grandjean in
their pioneering experiments of 1910 and subsequently elaborated upon by Friedel in 1922 and later by Bragg.
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Date: |
November 30, 2007 (Friday) |
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Time: |
4:00 – 5:00pm |
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Place: |
Room 517, Meng Wah Complex, HKU |
All are welcome