Mechanical frustration and spontaneous polygonal folding in active nematic sheets.
We analyze the bending response to light or heat of a solid nematic disk with a director twisted from being radial on the upper surface to be azimuthal on the lower. We find a number of curl lobes determined purely by the geometry of the mechanical frustration that arises during the response.
Laboratory of Mathematical Physics, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, New York 10065, USA.
C D
CD
Modes
M
M
Warner
C
C
Sánchez-Somolinos
L T
LT
de Haan
D
D
Broer