Eur. Phys. J. Special Topics 225, 1723-1732 (2016)
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: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
^b e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
^c e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
^d e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Received: 15 April 2016
Revised: 9 June 2016
Published online: 18 July 2016

Abstract

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.