Spinodal decomposition to a lamellar phase: effects of hydrodynamic flow

Results are presented for the kinetics of domain growth of a two-dimensional fluid quenched from a disordered to a lamellar phase. At early times when a Lifshitz-Slyozov mechanism is operative the growth process proceeds logarithmically in time to a frozen state with locked-in defects. However when hydrodynamic modes become important, or the fluid is subjected to shear, the frustration of the system is alleviated and the size and orientation of the lamellae attain their equilibrium values.Comment: 4 Revtex pages, 4 figures, to appear in Physical Review Letter

Lattice Boltzmann Algorithm for three-dimensional liquid crystal hydrodynamics

We describe a lattice Boltzmann algorithm to simulate liquid crystal hydrodynamics in three dimensions. The equations of motion are written in terms of a tensor order parameter. This allows both the isotropic and the nematic phases to be considered. Backflow effects and the hydrodynamics of topological defects are naturally included in the simulations, as are viscoelastic effects such as shear-thinning and shear-banding. We describe the implementation of velocity boundary conditions and show that the algorithm can be used to describe optical bounce in twisted nematic devices and secondary flow in sheared nematics with an imposed twist.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figure

Rheology of cholesteric blue phases

Blue phases of cholesteric liquid crystals offer a spectacular example of naturally occurring disclination line networks. Here we numerically solve the hydrodynamic equations of motion to investigate the response of three types of blue phases to an imposed Poiseuille flow. We show that shear forces bend and twist and can unzip the disclination lines. Under gentle forcing the network opposes the flow and the apparent viscosity is significantly higher than that of an isotropic liquid. With increased forcing we find strong shear thinning corresponding to the disruption of the defect network. As the viscosity starts to drop, the imposed flow sets the network into motion. Disclinations break-up and re-form with their neighbours in the flow direction. This gives rise to oscillations in the time-dependent measurement of the average stress.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Low temperature phase diagram and critical behaviour of the four-state chiral clock model

The low temperature behaviour of the four-state chiral clock ($CC_4$) model is reexamined using a systematic low temperature series expansion of the free energy. Previously obtained results for the low temperature phases are corrected and the low temperature phase diagram is derived. In addition, the phase transition from the modulated region to the high temperature paraphase is shown to belong to the universality class of the 3d-XY model.Comment: 17 pages in ioplppt style, 3 figure

Polarized 3 parton production in inclusive DIS at small x

Azimuthal angular correlations between produced hadrons/jets in high energy collisions are a sensitive probe of the dynamics of QCD at small x. Here we derive the triple differential cross section for inclusive production of 3 polarized partons in DIS at small x using the spinor helicity formalism. The target proton or nucleus is described using the Color Glass Condensate (CGC) formalism. The resulting expressions are used to study azimuthal angular correlations between produced partons in order to probe the gluon structure of the target hadron or nucleus. Our analytic expressions can also be used to calculate the real part of the Next to Leading Order (NLO) corrections to di-hadron production in DIS by integrating out one of the three final state partons.Comment: 5 pages, 6 figures; version accepted for publication in Physics Letters

Feynman parametrization and Mellin summation at finite temperature

We show that the Mellin summation technique (MST) is a well defined and useful tool to compute loop integrals at finite temperature in the imaginary-time formulation of thermal field theory, especially when interested in the infrared limit of such integrals. The method makes use of the Feynman parametrization which has been claimed to have problems when the analytical continuation from discrete to arbitrary complex values of the Matsubara frequency is performed. We show that without the use of the MST, such problems are not intrinsic to the Feynman parametrization but instead, they arise as a result of (a) not implementing the periodicity brought about by the possible values taken by the discrete Matsubara frequencies before the analytical continuation is made and (b) to the changing of the original domain of the Feynman parameter integration, which seemingly simplifies the expression but in practice introduces a spurious endpoint singularity. Using the MST, there are no problems related to the implementation of the periodicity but instead, care has to be taken when the sum of denominators of the original amplitude vanishes. We apply the method to the computation of loop integrals appearing when the effects of external weak magnetic fields on the propagation of scalar particles is considered.Comment: 16 pages, 1 figure. Discussion expanded. References added. Published versio