Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 5, 2025

Visualizing Uniaxial-strain Manipulation of Antiferromagnetic Domains in Fe1+YTe Using a Spin-polarized Scanning Tunneling Microscope
Published on: March 24, 2019
Structural Landscapes in Geometrically Frustrated Smectics
Jingmin Xia1, Scott MacLachlan2, Timothy J Atherton3
1Mathematical Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford OX2 6GG, United Kingdom.
A new free energy model describes smectic liquid crystals, enabling simulations of complex structures like focal conic domains and oily streaks. This approach elucidates their rich energy landscapes under geometric frustration.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Soft Matter Physics
Background:
- Smectic liquid crystals possess orientational order and molecular layering.
- Understanding their behavior, especially under geometric frustration, is crucial.
- Existing models may not fully capture emergent phenomena.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose a phenomenological free energy model for smectic liquid crystals.
- To enable numerical simulations of their behavior.
- To elucidate the energy landscapes associated with geometric frustration.
Main Methods:
- Development of a phenomenological free energy model.
- Application of the model to scenarios with geometric frustration.
- Utilizing numerical simulations to analyze emergent structures.
Main Results:
- The model successfully describes smectic liquid crystal behavior.
- Emergent structures like focal conic domains and oily streaks were observed.
- Detailed elucidation of complex energy landscapes was achieved.
Conclusions:
- The proposed free energy model is advantageous for simulating smectic liquid crystals.
- It effectively captures phenomena arising from geometric frustration.
- The model provides insights into the rich energy landscapes of these systems.
More Related Videos
09:00Visualization of Failure and the Associated Grain-Scale Mechanical Behavior of Granular Soils under Shear using Synchrotron X-Ray Micro-Tomography
Published on: September 29, 2019
06:26Orientational Transition in a Liquid Crystal Triggered by the Thermodynamic Growth of Interfacial Wetting Sheets
Published on: May 15, 2017
Related Concept Videos
Crystal Field Theory - Tetrahedral and Square Planar Complexes
Crystal field theory (CFT) is applicable to molecules in geometries other than octahedral. In octahedral complexes, the lobes of the dx2−y2 and dz2 orbitals point directly at the ligands. For tetrahedral complexes, the d orbitals remain in place, but with only four ligands located between the axes. None of the orbitals points directly at the tetrahedral ligands. However, the dx2−y2 and dz2 orbitals (along the Cartesian axes) overlap with the ligands less than the dxy,...
Structures of Solids
Mohr's Circle for Plane Strain
Mohr's circle visually represents the strain states under various conditions, which is essential for...
Three-Dimensional Analysis of Strain
Thermal Sigmatropic Reactions: Overview
Sigmatropic shifts are classified based on an order term [i, j ], where i and j indicate the number of atoms across which each end of the σ bond migrates. Below are examples of a [3,3] sigmatropic shift in 1,5-hexadiene, referred...
Gauss's Law: Planar Symmetry