Numerical analysis for constrained and unconstrained Q-tensor energies for liquid crystals

Abstract

This paper introduces a comprehensive finite element approximation framework for three-dimensional Landau-de Gennes $Q$-tensor energies for nematic liquid crystals, with a particular focus on the anisotropy of the elastic energy and the Ball-Majumdar singular potential. This potential imposes essential physical constraints on the eigenvalues of the $Q$-tensor, ensuring realistic modeling. We address the approximation of regular solutions to nonlinear elliptic partial differential equations with non-homogeneous boundary conditions associated with Landau-de Gennes energies. The well-posedness of the discrete linearized problem is rigorously demonstrated. The existence and local uniqueness of the discrete solution is derived using the Newton-Kantorovich theorem. Furthermore, we demonstrate an optimal order convergence rate in the energy norm and discuss the impact of eigenvalue constraints on the a priori error analysis.