Active nematic liquid crystals simulated by particle-based mesoscopic methods

Abstract

Two Multi-particle Collision Dynamics algorithms that simulate nematic liquid crystals are generalised to reproduce active behaviour. One of the algorithms is due to Shendruk and Yeomans and is based on...

Particle-based and continuum models for confined nematics in two dimensions

“…Eqn (24) is useful from the point of view of simulations, since K elas / μ 1 and can be determined from orientation correlations. 14,17 These measurements show that ξ N decreases with increasing U . Thus, the λ → 0 and λ → ∞ limits are recovered for small and large values of U , respectively.…”

“…Our main purpose is to estimate the order of magnitude of λ in N-MPCD. In this method, ξ N is found to be smaller than or similar to a , 13,17 which is the minimum resolution length-scale. Accordingly, core sizes can not be determined by direct inspection of the order fields.…”

“…7,8 N-MPCD has been successfully used to simulate flow and thermal fluctuations in NLCs; 6,9–11 isotropic and anisotropic microparticles in NLC solvents under non-equilibrium conditions; 12–15 and more recently, active NLCs. 16,17 The N-MPCD method is based on different principles compared to the LdG framework and hence, it is not a priori obvious when the different methods will yield similar predictions, and when the predictions will differ and why? The N-MPCD has more explicit NLC physics than the LdG theory.…”