Giomi L, Toner J, Sarkar N. Long-Ranged Order and Flow Alignment in Sheared p-atic Liquid Crystals.
PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2022;
129:067801. [PMID:
36018634 DOI:
10.1103/physrevlett.129.067801]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2021] [Accepted: 06/24/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
We formulate a hydrodynamic theory of p-atic liquid crystals, namely, two-dimensional anisotropic fluids endowed with generic p-fold rotational symmetry. Our approach, based on an order parameter tensor that directly embodies the discrete rotational symmetry of p-atic phases, allows us to unveil several unknown aspects of flowing p-atics, that previous theories, characterized by O(2) rotational symmetry, could not account for. This includes the onset of long-ranged orientational order in the presence of a simple shear flow of arbitrary shear rate, as opposed to the standard quasi-long-ranged order of two-dimensional liquid crystals, and the possibility of flow alignment at large shear rates.
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