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Updated: May 10, 2026

Novel Techniques for Observing Structural Dynamics of Photoresponsive Liquid Crystals
Published on: May 29, 2018
Statistical foundations of liquid-crystal theory: I. Discrete systems of rod-like molecules
1Department of Mathematics and Statistics, 805 Sherbrooke Street West, Montreal, QC H3A 2K6, Tel.: 514-398-2998, , bseguin@math.mcgill.ca.
Abstract:
We develop a mechanical theory for systems of rod-like particles. Central to our approach is the assumption that the external power expenditure for any subsystem of rods is independent of the underlying frame of reference. This assumption is used to derive the basic balance laws for forces and torques. By considering inertial forces on par with other forces, these laws hold relative to any frame of reference, inertial or noninertial. Finally, we introduce a simple set of constitutive relations to govern the interactions between rods and find restrictions necessary and sufficient for these laws to be consistent with thermodynamics. Our framework provides a foundation for a statistical mechanical derivation of the macroscopic balance laws governing liquid crystals.
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