Hydrodynamics and rheology of active liquid crystals: a numerical investigation.
We report numerical studies of the hydrodynamics and rheology of an active liquid crystal. We confirm the existence of a transition between a passive and an active phase, with spontaneous flow in steady state. We explore how the velocity profile changes with activity, and we point out the difference in behavior for flow-aligning and tumbling materials. We find that an active material can thicken or thin under a flow, or even exhibit both behaviors as the forcing changes.
Marenduzzo
D
D
SUPA, School of Physics, University of Edinburgh, Mayfield Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JZ, United Kingdom.
Orlandini
E
E
Yeomans
J M
JM
D000465:Algorithms; D050866:Liquid Crystals / Q000737:chemistry*; D008956:Models, Chemical; D012212:Rheology / Q000379:methods