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Updated: Aug 11, 2026
06:26
Orientational Transition in a Liquid Crystal Triggered by the Thermodynamic Growth of Interfacial Wetting Sheets
Published on: May 15, 2017
Dynamics of orientational ordering in fluid membranes
1Yukawa Institute for Theoretical Physics, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8502, Japan.
Physical Review. E, Statistical, Nonlinear, and Soft Matter Physics
|November 22, 2002
Summary
Fluid membrane orientational ordering is unusually slow. Membrane curvature limits coarsening, with correlation length growing slower than previously thought.
Area of Science:
- Soft matter physics
- Membrane biophysics
Background:
- Fluid membranes exhibit complex orientational ordering dynamics.
- Understanding phase ordering is crucial for membrane function.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate the dynamics of orientational phase ordering in fluid membranes.
- Characterize the coarsening process and identify limiting factors.
Main Methods:
- Numerical simulations of fluid membrane dynamics.
- Analysis of topological texture evolution and correlation length growth.
Main Results:
- Observed unusually slow coarsening of topological texture.
- Identified subdiffusive propagation of membrane curvature as the limiting factor.
- Determined a power-law growth for orientational correlation length, xi ~ t^w, with w < 1/4 in the late stage.
Conclusions:
- Membrane curvature significantly impacts orientational ordering dynamics.
- The observed slow coarsening suggests unique long-range interactions mediated by curvature elasticity.
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