462 citations · 761 across the 28 of their papers we have counts for
28 papers
On extracting momentum from supports: the bullet in the beam problem
Xiaoyu Zheng, Tianyi Guo, Peter Palffy-Muhoray
To gain insights into momentum transfer from the supporting environment, we consider the simple problem of a bullet, fired from below, into a wooden beam resting on two supports. T…
On quantifying the spin angular momentum density of light
Xiaoyu Zheng, Peter Palffy-Muhoray
In addition to energy, light carries linear and angular momentum. These are key quantities in rapidly developing optics research and in technologies focusing on light induced force…
The effects of network architecture on the photomechanical performance of azo-acrylate liquid crystal elastomers
Anastasiia Svanidze, Sudarshan Kundu, Olena Iadlovska +3
Azo-containing liquid crystal elatomers are photomechanical materials which can be actuated by illumination. The photomechanical response is a result of the photoisomerization of t…
A confined rod: mean field theory for hard rod-like particles
Jamie M. Taylor, Thomas G. Fai, Epifanio G. Virga +2
In this paper, we model the configurations of a system of hard rods by viewing each rod in a cell formed by its neighbors. By minimizing the free energy in the model and performing…
Whip dynamics in a freely falling chain
Tianyi Guo, Xiaoyu Zheng, Peter Palffy-Muhoray
In this work, we examine the whip dynamics in a freely falling chain. We consider an inextensible chain with free ends in the presence of gravity hanging from a fixed pulley. If th…
An elastically stabilized spherical invagination
Xiaoyu Zheng, Tianyi Guo, Peter Palffy-Muhoray
Invaginations are partial enclosures formed by surfaces. Typically formed by biological membranes; they abound in nature. In this paper, we consider fundamentally different structu…
Optical characterization of dyed liquid crystal cells
Obeng Appiagyei Addai, Ruilin Xiao, Xiaoyu Zheng +1
The guest-host liquid crystal display, first proposed in 1968, relies on controlling the orientation of dichroic dyes dissolved in a nematic liquid crystal host. Controlling the or…
Anticlinic order of long-range repulsive rod-like magnetic particles in 2D
Xiaoyu Zheng, Obeng Appiagyei Addai, Peter Palffy-Muhoray
In the field of liquid crystals, it is well-known that rod-like molecules interacting via long-range attractive interactions or short-range repulsive potentials can exhibit orienta…
Rogue ocean waves and the St. Petersburg paradox
Paul Johns, Peter Palffy-Muhoray, Jake Fontana
Powerful rogue ocean waves have been objects of fascination for centuries. Elusive and awe-inspiring, with the ability to inflict catastrophic damage, rogue waves remain unpredicta…
Cavity volume and free energy in many-body systems
Jamie M. Taylor, Thomas G. Fai, Epifanio G. Virga +2
Within this work we derive and analyse an expression for the free energy of a single-species system in the thermodynamic limit in terms of a generalised cavity volume, that is exac…
The Freedericksz transition in a spatially varying magnetic field
Tianyi Guo, Xiaoyu Zheng, Peter Palffy-Muhoray
Much is known about the Freedericksz transition induced by uniform electric and magnetic fields in nematic liquid crystals. Here we study the effects of a spatially varying field o…
Impedance Matching in an Elastic Actuator
Tianyi Guo, Xiaoyu Zheng, Peter Palffy-Muhoray
We optimize the performance of an elastic actuator consisting of an active core in a host which performs mechanical work on a load. The system, initially with localized elastic ene…
Leaky Cell Model of Hard Spheres
Thomas G. Fai, Jamie M. Taylor, Epifanio G. Virga +2
We study packings of hard spheres on lattices. The partition function, and therefore the pressure, may be written solely in terms of the accessible free volume, i.e. the volume of…
Wavelength selection in a buckling garden hose
Tianyi Guo, Xiaoyu Zheng, Peter Palffy-Muhoray
We consider sinusoidal undulations which appear on certain garden hoses under normal use. We propose an explanation and provide a model for this phenomenon, and make a connection w…
St. Petersburg paradox and failure probability
Jake Fontana, Peter Palffy-Muhoray
The St. Petersburg paradox provides a simple paradigm for systems that show sensitivity to rare events. Here, we demonstrate a physical realization of this paradox using tensile fr…
Surface Anchoring Energy of Cholesteric Liquid Crystals
Tianyi Guo, Xiaoyu Zheng, Peter Palffy-Muhoray
In this paper, we propose a suitable surface energy expression for cholesteric liquid crystals. We show that there exists a symmetry allowed term for chiral nematics that doesn't a…
Contributions of Repulsive and Attractive Interactions to Nematic Order
Peter Palffy-Muhoray, Jamie M. Taylor, Epifanio G. Virga +1
Both repulsive and attractive molecular interactions can be used to explain the onset of nematic order. The object of this paper is to combine these two nematogenic molecular inter…
Onsager's missing steps retraced
Peter Palffy-Muhoray, Epifanio G. Virga, Xiaoyu Zheng
Onsager's paper on phase transition and phase coexistence in anisotropic colloidal systems is a landmark in the theory of lyotropic liquid crystals. However, an uncompromising scru…
On a paradox in the impact dynamics of smooth rigid bodies
Peter Palffy-Muhoray, Epifanio G. Virga, Mark Wilkinson +1
Paradoxes in the impact dynamics of rigid bodies are known to arise in the presence of friction. We show here that, on specificc occasions, in the absence of friction, the conserva…
Density functional theory for dense nematics with steric interactions
Eduardo S. Nascimento, Peter Palffy-Muhoray, Jamie M. Taylor +2
The celebrated work of Onsager on hard particle systems, based on the truncated second order virial expansion, is valid at relatively low volume fractions for large aspect ratio pa…
The "coin-through-the-rubber" trick: an elastically stabilized invagination
Fanlong Meng, Masao Doi, Zhongcan Ouyang +2
A spectacular trick of close-up magicians involves the apparent passing of a coin through a rubber sheet. The magic is based on the unusual elastic response of a thin rubber sheet:…
Dimensional Analysis and the Time Required to Urinate
Peter Palffy-Muhoray, Yijing Chen, Hiroshi Yokoyama +1
According to the recently discovered 'Law of Urination', mammals, ranging in size from mice to elephants, take, on the average, 21s to urinate. We attempt to gain insights into the…
Modeling the Mechanisms of the Photomechanical Response of a Nematic Liquid Crystal Elastomer
Nathan J. Dawson, Mark G. Kuzyk, Jeremy Neal +2
Recent studies of azo-dye doped liquid crystal elastomers show a strong photomechanical response. We report on models that predict experimental results that suggest photothermal he…
Experimental Studies of the Mechanisms of Photomechanical Effects in a Nematic Liquid Crystal Elastomer in a Photomechanical Optical Device Geometry
Nathan J. Dawson, Mark G. Kuzyk, Jeremy Neal +2
Azo-dye-doped liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) are known to show a strong photomechanical response. We report on experiments that suggest that photothermal heating is the underlyin…