MLC
7 January 2013 to 5 July 2013
Liquid crystals represent a vast and diverse class of anisotropic soft matter materials which are intermediate between isotropic liquids and crystalline solids. Liquid crystal ordering is found in a wide variety of systems, ranging from fluids made up of simple rods, polymers and amphiphile solutions, to elastomers and biological organisms. Liquid crystals have a multitude of applications, notably those in flat panel display technology, which has fundamentally impacted modern life. From a theoretical point of view, liquid crystals offer a unique opportunity for the study of partial order, as complex liquid crystal phases represent the most well-organised known states of soft matter. At present, the theory of liquid crystals is developed by two groups of researchers which do not currently interact effectively with each other. A first group consists of physicists, chemists and engineers with extensive experimental and theoretical experience in the field. A second, rapidly expanding group, comprises mathematicians who have started to work on the theory of liquid crystals, attracted by its intriguing mathematical structure and connections to different branches of mathematics. The aim of the programme is to bring together experts from these two groups to facilitate an exchange of ideas, the exploration of different approaches and the sharing of knowledge. One important goal is the identification of key mathematical problems arising from experiment, computer simulations and device applications.
The programme will facilitate knowledge transfer, attract mathematicians to the field and help establish long term collaborations which will enrich both groups of researchers. A wide spectrum of mathematical problems will be considered, related to the modeling of liquid crystals with varying detail and at different length scales. Models will range from continuum descriptions, where the symmetry group of the ordered phase plays a key role, to computer simulations on an atomistic level. One important set of open problems to be considered is the relationship between these different levels of modeling; for example how one can make a rigorous passage from molecular/statistical descriptions to continuum theories and how the results of computer simulations can be used to test the validity of statistical and continuum models. Emphasis will be placed on the use of symmetry, bifurcation and group theory approaches to study the relationship between the symmetry of individual molecules and interaction potentials, the symmetry of the resulting phases and the structure of the order parameter space. On the continuum level, the programme will address the dynamics of various liquid crystal phases and the systematic derivation of various equations of motion, and will aim to clarify the accuracy of different descriptions and their applicability to different liquid crystal systems. Special consideration will be given to the existence, uniqueness and regularity of the solutions of these equations, as well as the bifurcation and properties of equilibrium and periodic solutions, solitary waves, and dynamic switching, and to how well the equations describe phase transitions.
An important target is to find effective approximations which can be used to overcome the challenges posed by the complexity of liquid crystal phases with biaxial and more complicated order, which are becoming important in emerging applications. A strong effort will be made to identify and explore mathematical problems arising from novel liquid crystal systems, such as liquid crystal elastomers and nano-particle liquid crystal metamaterials. The programme will include four workshops covering all major aspects of the subject.
Click here to download the programme's final scientific report
Title | Year | Programme |
---|---|---|
Existence of solutions to boundary value problems for smectic liquid crystalsAuthors: Patricia Bauman, Dan Phillips, Jinhae Park |
2012 | MLC |
Shape control of active surfaces inspired by the movement of euglenidsAuthors: M Arroyo, A De Simone |
2012 | MLC |
Immortality of platonic solidsAuthors: I Busjatskaya, Michael Monastyrsky |
2012 | MLC |
Synchronisation and liquid crystalline order in soft active fluidsAuthors: M Leoni, Tanniemola Liverpool |
2012 | MLC |
The action of the orthogonal group on planar vectors: invariants, covariants, and syzygiesAuthors: G Dhont, B Zhilinskii |
2012 | MLC |
Twisted quasiperiodic textures of biaxial nematicsAuthors: VL Golo, Efim Kats, AA Sevenyuk, DO Sinitsyn |
2012 | MLC |
Topological boundary modes in isostatic latticesAuthors: CL Kane, Tom Lubensky |
2012 | MLC |
Nanoparticle-induced twist-grain boundary phaseAuthors: M Trcek, G Cordoyiannis, V Tzitzios, Samo Kralj, G Nounesis, ET Al |
2012 | MLC |
Computational studies of history-dependence in nematic liquid crystals in random environmentsAuthors: A Ranjkesh, M Ambrozic, Samo Kralj, Tim Sluckin |
2012 | MLC |
Order reconstruction patterns in nematic liquid crystal wellsAuthors: Samo Kralj, A Majumdar |
2012 | MLC |
Propagating director bend fluctuations in nematic liquid crystalsAuthors: Anja Humpert, Michael Allen |
2012 | MLC |
7 January 2013 to 11 January 2013
18 March 2013 to 22 March 2013
22 March 2013 to 22 March 2013
8 April 2013 to 12 April 2013
21 May 2013 to 22 May 2013
24 June 2013 to 28 June 2013
Wednesday 16th January 2013 | |||
---|---|---|---|
14:10 to 17:00 |
David Chillingworth University of Southampton |
Discussion Room |
Tuesday 22nd January 2013 | |||
---|---|---|---|
14:00 to 15:00 |
Carme Calderer University of Minnesota |
Room 1 | |
Wednesday 23rd January 2013 | |||
---|---|---|---|
15:30 to 17:00 |
David Chillingworth University of Southampton |
Discussion Room |
Thursday 24th January 2013 | |||
---|---|---|---|
11:00 to 12:00 |
Nigel Mottram University of Strathclyde |
Room 1 | |
Tuesday 29th January 2013 | |||
---|---|---|---|
14:00 to 15:00 |
Dan Phillips Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis |
Room 1 | |
16:00 to 17:00 | Room 1 | |
Tuesday 5th February 2013 | |||
---|---|---|---|
14:00 to 15:00 |
Michael Allen University of Warwick |
Room 2 | |
Wednesday 6th February 2013 | |||
---|---|---|---|
16:00 to 17:00 |
David Chillingworth University of Southampton |
Discussion Room |
Thursday 7th February 2013 | |||
---|---|---|---|
11:00 to 12:00 |
Jinhae Park Chungnam National University |
Room 1 | |
16:00 to 17:00 |
Reiner Lauterbach Technische Universität Hamburg-Harburg |
Room 2 | |
Monday 11th February 2013 | |||
---|---|---|---|
15:00 to 17:00 |
Lech Longa Uniwersytet Jagiellonski |
Discussion Room |
Tuesday 12th February 2013 | |||
---|---|---|---|
14:00 to 15:00 |
Samo Kralj University of Maribor |
Room 2 | |
Tuesday 19th February 2013 | |||
---|---|---|---|
14:00 to 15:00 |
Symmetry breaking and symmetry defects. Invariant theory applications |
Room 2 | |
Wednesday 20th February 2013 | |||
---|---|---|---|
14:00 to 15:00 |
David Chillingworth University of Southampton |
Discussion Room | |
15:00 to 16:00 |
Lech Longa Uniwersytet Jagiellonski |
Discussion Room |
Thursday 21st February 2013 | |||
---|---|---|---|
11:00 to 12:00 |
Martin Copic Univerza v Ljubljani |
Room 1 | |
14:00 to 16:00 |
Epifanio Virga Università degli Studi di Pavia |
Discussion Room |
Tuesday 26th February 2013 | |||
---|---|---|---|
14:00 to 15:00 |
Patricia Bauman Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis |
Room 2 | |
Thursday 28th February 2013 | |||
---|---|---|---|
11:00 to 12:00 |
Nigel Mottram University of Strathclyde |
Room 1 | |
Tuesday 12th March 2013 | |||
---|---|---|---|
14:00 to 15:00 |
Arghir Zarnescu University of Sussex |
Room 1 | |
Wednesday 13th March 2013 | |||
---|---|---|---|
11:00 to 12:00 |
Simon Praetorius Technische Universität Dresden |
Room 2 | |
14:00 to 15:00 |
Arghir Zarnescu University of Sussex |
Room 2 | |
Thursday 14th March 2013 | |||
---|---|---|---|
11:00 to 12:00 |
Hartmut Löwen Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf |
Room 1 | |
Thursday 28th March 2013 | |||
---|---|---|---|
11:00 to 12:00 |
Mikhail Osipov University of Strathclyde |
Room 2 | |
Wednesday 3rd April 2013 | |||
---|---|---|---|
11:00 to 12:00 |
Ibrahim Fatkullin University of Arizona |
Room 2 | |
Thursday 4th April 2013 | |||
---|---|---|---|
09:00 to 10:00 | Room 2 | ||
14:00 to 15:00 |
Danilo Liarte Universidade de São Paulo |
Room 2 | |
Friday 5th April 2013 | |||
---|---|---|---|
11:00 to 12:00 |
Ibrahim Fatkullin University of Arizona |
Room 2 | |
Tuesday 16th April 2013 | |||
---|---|---|---|
14:00 to 15:00 |
Radu Ignat Université Paris Saclay |
Room 1 | |
15:00 to 16:00 |
Efim Kats L.D.Landau Institute for Theoretical Physics, Moscow |
Room 1 | |
Wednesday 17th April 2013 | |||
---|---|---|---|
11:00 to 12:00 |
Paulo Teixeira ISEL |
Room 1 | |
12:00 to 13:00 |
Giampaolo D'Alessandro University of Southampton |
Room 1 | |
Tuesday 23rd April 2013 | |||
---|---|---|---|
14:00 to 15:00 |
Margarida Maria Telo da Gama ISEL |
Room 2 | |
15:00 to 16:00 |
Tim Sluckin University of Southampton |
Room 2 | |
Thursday 25th April 2013 | |||
---|---|---|---|
11:00 to 12:00 |
Jonathan Robbins University of Bristol |
Room 2 | |
12:00 to 13:00 |
Iain Stewart University of Strathclyde |
Room 2 |
Tuesday 30th April 2013 | |||
---|---|---|---|
14:00 to 15:00 |
Mark Bowick Syracuse University |
Room 1 | |
15:00 to 16:00 |
Mark Warner University of Cambridge |
Room 1 | |
Thursday 2nd May 2013 | |||
---|---|---|---|
11:00 to 12:00 |
Mikhail Osipov University of Strathclyde |
Room 1 | |
12:00 to 13:00 |
Oleg Lavrentovich Kent State University |
Room 1 |
Tuesday 7th May 2013 | |||
---|---|---|---|
11:00 to 12:00 |
Steve Barnett University of Strathclyde |
Room 1 | |
12:00 to 13:00 |
Claudio Zannoni Università di Bologna |
Room 1 | |
14:00 to 15:00 |
Ivan Smalyukh University of Colorado |
Room 1 | |
Thursday 9th May 2013 | |||
---|---|---|---|
11:00 to 12:00 |
Sookyung Joo Old Dominion University |
Room 1 | |
12:00 to 13:00 |
Julia Yeomans University of Oxford |
Room 1 |
Tuesday 14th May 2013 | |||
---|---|---|---|
14:00 to 15:00 |
Martin Copic Univerza v Ljubljani |
Room 1 | |
Thursday 16th May 2013 | |||
---|---|---|---|
12:00 to 13:00 |
Tannie Liverpool University of Bristol |
Room 1 | |
Thursday 23rd May 2013 | |||
---|---|---|---|
11:00 to 12:00 |
Antonio DeSimone SISSA |
Room 1 | |
12:00 to 13:00 |
Igor Pinkevych Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv |
Room 1 | |
Tuesday 28th May 2013 | |||
---|---|---|---|
14:00 to 15:00 |
Efim Kats L.D.Landau Institute for Theoretical Physics, Moscow |
Room 1 | |
Thursday 30th May 2013 | |||
---|---|---|---|
11:00 to 12:00 |
John Ball University of Oxford |
Room 1 | |
Tuesday 4th June 2013 | |||
---|---|---|---|
14:00 to 15:00 |
Yanlei Yu Fudan University |
Room 1 |
Friday 7th June 2013 | |||
---|---|---|---|
14:00 to 17:00 |
Michael Monastyrsky ITEP (Institute for Theoretical and Experimental Physics) |
Room 2 |
Tuesday 11th June 2013 | |||
---|---|---|---|
14:00 to 15:00 |
Luc Nguyen Princeton University |
Room 1 | |
Thursday 13th June 2013 | |||
---|---|---|---|
11:00 to 12:00 |
Bob Pelcovits Brown University |
Room 1 | |
16:00 to 17:30 |
Endotoxin-Induced Ordering Transitions in Liquid Crystalline Droplets |
Room 2 | |
Friday 5th July 2013 | |||
---|---|---|---|
09:00 to 09:45 |
Epifanio Virga Università degli Studi di Pavia |
Room 1 | |
09:45 to 10:00 | Room 1 | |
|
10:00 to 10:15 |
Towards an Optical Nano-Laboratory in a Liquid Crystal Defect |
Room 1 | |
10:15 to 10:30 | Room 1 | |
|
10:30 to 11:00 | No Room Required | ||
11:00 to 11:15 |
Mikhailo Pevnyi Kent State University |
Room 1 | |
11:15 to 11:30 |
Modelling Light Propagation Through Radial-Director Liquid Crystal Waveguides |
Room 1 | |
11:30 to 11:45 | Room 1 | |
|
11:45 to 12:00 | Room 1 | |
|
12:00 to 12:15 |
Visualizing Induced Fluid Flows around a Sphere in Isotropic and Nematic Liquids |
Room 1 | |
12:15 to 12:30 |
Flashing Flexodomains and Electroconvection Rolls in a Nematic Liquid Crystal |
Room 1 | |
12:30 to 14:00 | No Room Required | ||
14:00 to 15:15 | Room 1 | |
|
15:15 to 17:00 | Discussion Room | ||
17:00 to 19:00 | No Room Required |
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