https://doi.org/10.1140/epjst/e2016-60118-1
Regular Article
Orientational dynamics in nematic liquid crystals
A coarse-grained simulation study
1 Department of Physics, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK
2 School of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Science, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, UK
3 H. H. Wills Physics Laboratory, Royal Fort, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TL, UK
a e-mail: a.humpert@warwick.ac.uk
b e-mail: andrew.masters@manchester.ac.uk
c e-mail: m.p.allen@bristol.ac.uk
d e-mail: m.p.allen@warwick.ac.uk
Received: 15 April 2016
Revised: 9 June 2016
Published online: 18 July 2016
We examine the behaviour of single-particle orientational time correlation functions in nematic liquid crystals. As well as the expected dynamics involving oscillation in a mean-field potential, and occasional jumps between orientations parallel and antiparallel to the director, we provide the first simulation evidence of long-time tails characteristic of coupling to director fluctuations.
© EDP Sciences, Springer-Verlag, 2016
