Nematic films and radially anisotropic Delaunay surfaces.
We develop a theory of axisymmetric surfaces minimizing a combination of surface tension and nematic elastic energies which may be suitable for describing simple film and bubble shapes. As a function of the elastic constant and the applied tension on the bubbles, we find the analogues of the unduloid, sphere, and nodoid in addition to other new surfaces.
Chen
B G
BG
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6396, USA.
Kamien
R D
RD