Physics – Condensed Matter – Soft Condensed Matter
Scientific paper
2001-07-09
Physics
Condensed Matter
Soft Condensed Matter
6 pages, 4 figures
Scientific paper
10.1140/epje/i200101162
We use a two-dimensional (2D) elastic free energy to calculate the effective interaction between two circular disks immersed in smectic-$C$ films. For strong homeotropic anchoring, the distortion of the director field caused by the disks generates additional topological defects that induce an effective interaction between the disks. We use finite elements, with adaptive meshing, to minimize the 2D elastic free energy. The method is shown to be accurate and efficient for inhomogeneities on the length scales set by the disks and the defects, that differ by up to 3 orders of magnitude. We compute the effective interaction between two disk-defect pairs in a simple (linear) configuration. For large disk separations, $D$, the elastic free energy scales as $\sim D^{-2}$, confirming the dipolar character of the long-range effective interaction. For small $D$ the energy exhibits a pronounced minimum. The lowest energy corresponds to a symmetrical configuration of the disk-deffect pairs, with the inner defect at the mid-point between the disks. The disks are separated by a distance that is twice the distance of the outer defect from the nearest disk. The latter is identical to the equilibrium distance of a defect nucleated by an isolated disk.
da Gama Margarida M. Telo
Patricio Pedro
Tasinkevych Mykola
No associations
LandOfFree
Colloidal dipolar interactions in 2D smectic C films does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.
If you have personal experience with Colloidal dipolar interactions in 2D smectic C films, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Colloidal dipolar interactions in 2D smectic C films will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-366588