Domain growth in cholesteric blue phases: hybrid lattice Boltzmann simulations
arXiv:0901.3293 · doi:10.1016/j.camwa.2009.08.047
Abstract
Here we review a hybrid lattice Boltzmann algorithm to solve the equations of motion of cholesteric liquid crystals. The method consists in coupling a lattice Boltzmann solver for the Navier-Stokes equation to a finite difference method to solve the dynamical equations governing the evolution of the liquid crystalline order parameter. We apply this method to study the growth of cholesteric blue phase domains, within a cholesteric phase. We focus on the growth of blue phase II and on a thin slab geometry in which the domain wall is flat. Our results show that, depending on the chirality, the growing blue phase is either BPII with no or few defects, or another structure with hexagonal ordering. We hope that our simulations will spur further experimental investigations on quenches in micron-size blue phase samples. The computational size that our hybrid lattice Boltzmann scheme can handle suggest that large scale simulations of new generation of blue phase liquid crystal device are within reach.
22 pages, 4 figures
References in corpus (9)
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Cited by in corpus (9)
- On the structure of blue phase III
- Lattice Boltzmann Methods and Active Fluids
- Ordering dynamics of blue phases entails kinetic stabilization of amorphous networks
- Thermodynamics of Blue Phases In Electric Fields
- Channel Flow of a Tensorial Shear-Thinning Maxwell Model: Lattice Boltzmann Simulations
- Interfacial motion in flexo- and order-electric switching between nematic filled states
- Lattice Boltzmann modeling of cholesteric liquid crystal droplets under an oscillatory electric field
- Lattice Boltzmann simulations of liquid crystalline fluids: active gels and blue phases
- Rheology of an inverted cholesteric droplet under shear flow