Research project: Computational Multiscale Modelling

Physics textbooks normally identify as the three phases of matter, the solid, liquid and vapour phases. Liquid C crystals are a different state of matter which exhibit a degree of order between that of a fluid and a solid: its molecules are not in a fixed position, as is the case of liquids, but may have very similar orientations, as is the case of crystals. Liquid crystals have attracted interest for many reasons: the more widespread is their use in displays, but they are also used as optical light modulator and sensors; many biological materials for liquid crystalline phases; last, but certainly not least, their study gives rise to much interesting mathematics, from broken symmetries and group theory to novel numerical methods. Our interests in this field span from the analysis of their symmetries, to the statistical physics of their phases, the numerical calculation of their alignment and modelling their response in real world devices. This last work is in collaboration with the Functional Materials group in Physics and Astronomy.