title: Diffusion of helical particles in the screw-like nematic phase.
abstract: The mechanism of diffusion of helical particles in the new screw-like nematic phase is studied by molecular dynamics numerical simulation. Several dynamical indicators are reported that evidence and microscopically characterise the special translo-rotational motion by which helical particles move in this chiral liquid-crystalline phase. Besides mean square displacements and diffusion coefficients resolved parallel and perpendicular to the nematic director, a suitable translo-rotational van Hove self-correlation function and a sequence of translational and rotational velocity, self- and distinct-, time correlation functions are calculated. The analysis of all these correlation functions elicits the operativeness of the aforementioned coupled mechanism and allows its short- and long-time quantitative characterisation.
authors: Departamento de Física Teórica de la Materia Condensada, Instituto de Física de la Materia Condensada (IFIMAC), Instituto de Ciencias de Materiales "Nicolás Cabrera," Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Campus de Cantoblanco, E-28049 Madrid, Spain.
authors: Giorgio
authors: G
authors: Cinacchi
authors: Dipartimento di Chimica, Università di Pisa, via Giuseppe Moruzzi 13, I-56124 Pisa, Italy.
authors: Alberto Maria
authors: AM
authors: Pintus
authors: Dipartimento di Chimica, Università di Pisa, via Giuseppe Moruzzi 13, I-56124 Pisa, Italy.
authors: Alessandro
authors: A
authors: Tani