Impact of diffusion limited aggregates of impurities on nematic ordering

S. Harkai, M. Ambrožič and S. Kralj

Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, 2017, vol. 467, issue C, 249-256

Abstract: We study the impact of random bond-type disorder on two-dimensional (2D) orientational ordering of nematic liquid crystal (LC) configurations. The lattice Lebwohl–Lasher pseudospin model is used to model orientational ordering perturbed by frozen-in rod-like impurities of concentration p exhibiting the isotropic orientational probability distribution. The impurities are either (i) randomly spatially distributed or (ii) form diffusion limited aggregation (DLA)-type patterns characterized by the fractal dimensions df, where we consider cases df∼1.7 and df∼1.9. The degree of orientational ordering is quantified in terms of the orientational pair correlation function G(r). Simulations reveal that the DLA pattern imposed disorder has a significantly weaker impact for a given concentration of impurities. Furthermore, if samples are quenched from the isotropic LC phase, then the fractal dimension is relatively strongly imprinted on quantitative characteristics of G(r).

Keywords: Nematic liquid crystals; Disorder; Lebwohl–Lasher lattice model; Fractals; Diffusion limited aggregation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:phsmap:v:467:y:2017:i:c:p:249-256

DOI: 10.1016/j.physa.2016.10.001

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