Dr. Mykola Tasinkevych (Max Planck Institute for Metals Research, Germany)
Nematic colloids: fine structure of boojums and effective pair interactions between spherical colloidal particles with tangential anchoring
I will present results of theoretical calculations for nematic configurations around a single and a pair of spherical colloidal particles. Inducing tangential anchoring on the nematic director. Effects of temperature, particle size, and anchoring strength on the structure of the core of a boojum will be discussed. For two particles nematic distortions induce effective interactions. The interactions are analyzed as a function of the anchoring strength. Finally, I will make a connection with experiments of Lavrentovich on similar system.