PHY-850: Special Topics in CM: Intro to liquid crystal physics

Molecules” of anisometric shapes often form fluidic but orientationally ordered phases, called liquid crystals. Various entities, from small organic molecules to millimeter-size grains, from lifeless colloids to swimming microorganisms, can form liquid crystal phases. In the first part of the course, we will discuss equilibrium liquid crystal systems. We will begin with a survey of the variety of phases in the liquid crystal family. Then we will look into the Maier-Saupe and Onsager theories that describe the condensation of nematic from an isotropic phase. We will investigate the elasticity and viscosity of nematics with both symmetry and material arguments. We will conclude this part with discussions on defects. In the second half, we will look into active liquid crystals, i.e. systems driven out-of-equilibrium at “molecule” level. We will look into the dynamic features of these new systems that result from the competition of orientational order and active stress. This course will be mainly lectures, but compensated by paper discussion, lab tours, and basic experiments.

Level: 
Graduate
Credits: 
3
Prerequisites: 
Consent of Instructor
Corequisites: 
none
Semester(s) offered: 
Both

Course Schedules

Semester Sec Instructor Times / Rm
Spring 2022 Shuang Zhou
TuTh 1:00-2:15pm
TBD
Fall 2016 Benny Davidovitch
TuTh 1:00-2:15
LGRT 1033
Spring 2015 Adrian Parsegian
TuTh 11:30-12:45
HAS 104A
Fall 2012
1
Benny Davidovitch
Continuum Mechanics
TuTh 2:30
LGRT 1033
Fall 2012
3
Mark Tuominen
Nanophysics
TuTh 1:00
LGRT 1033
Fall 2012
4
Adrian Parsegian
Biophysics
TuTh 4:00
GASA 104B
Fall 2010
1
Benny Davidovitch
TuTh 2:30
LGRT 1033
Fall 2010
2
Boris Svistunov
MWF 11:15
LGRT 1033
Fall 2010
3
Kilfoil
TuTh 1:00
HASA 409
Spring 2010 Adrian Parsegian
TuTh 1:00-2:15
HAS 136