title: Inelastic collisions and anisotropic aggregation of particles in a nematic collider driven by backflow.
abstract: We design a nematic collider for controlled out-of-equilibrium anisotropic aggregation of spherical colloidal particles. The nematic surrounding imparts dipolar interactions among the spheres. A bidirectional backflow of the nematic liquid crystal in a periodic electric field forces the spheres to collide with each other. The inelastic collisions are of two types, head to tail and head to head. Head-to-tail collisions of dipoles result in longitudinal aggregation while head-to-head collisions promote aggregation in the transversal direction. The frequency of head-to-head collisions is set by the impact parameter that controls the resulting shape of aggregates, their anisotropy, and fractal dimension.
authors.affiliation: Liquid Crystal Institute, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio 44242, USA.
authors.forename: Oleg P
authors.initials: OP
authors.lastname: Pishnyak
authors.forename: Sergij V
authors.initials: SV
authors.lastname: Shiyanovskii
authors.forename: Oleg D
authors.initials: OD
authors.lastname: Lavrentovich