Regensburg 2019 – scientific programme

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SYGT: Symposium Geometry, Topology, and Condensed Matter

SYGT 1: Geometry, topology, and condensed matter

SYGT 1.5: Invited Talk

Tuesday, April 2, 2019, 11:45–12:15, H1

Roles of the curvature in two-dimensional nematic films — •Gaetano Napoli¹ and Luigi Vergori² — ¹Università del Salento — ²Università di Perugia

Thin nematic films provide a fascinating instance where the interplay between geometry and physics is at work. We illustrate the vector and the order-tensor theories for deformable fluid films, ideally two dimensional, endowed with an in-plane degenerate nematic order. As an application, we consider a generalization of the classical Plateau problem to an axisymmetric nematic film bounded by two coaxial parallel rings. Within the vector theory, the shape of the film results from a competition between surface tension, which favors the minimization of the film area, the nematic elasticity, that brings up the role of curvature. Furthermore, within tensor Landau-de Gennes theory the curvature competes against the temperature favoring the nematic ordering.