# Groupe de Physique Statistique

## Equipe 106, Institut Jean Lamour

 •  •  •  •  •

### Articles dans des revues à comité de lecture

 Retrieving the saddle-splay elastic constant $K_{24}$ of nematic liquid crystals from an algebraic approach Fumeron S., Moraes F., Pereira E. The European Physical Journal E 39 (2016) DOI : 10.1140/epje/i2016-16083-8 ArXiv : arxiv:1608.06925 [PDF] The physics of light interference experiments is well established for nematic liquid crystals. Using well-known techniques, it is possible to obtain important quantities, such as the differential scattering cross section and the saddle-splay elastic constant $K_{24}$. However, the usual methods to retrieve the latter involves an adjusting of computational parameters through the visual comparisons between the experimental light interference pattern or a 2Hâˆ’NMR spectral pattern produced by an escaped-radial disclination, and their computational simulation counterparts. To avoid such comparisons, we develop an algebraic method for obtaining of saddle-splay elastic constant $K_{24}$. Considering an escaped-radial disclination inside a capillary tube with radius $R_0$ of tens of micrometers, we use a metric approach to study the propagation of the light (in the scalar wave approximation), near to the surface of the tube and to determine the light interference pattern due to the defect. The latter is responsible for the existence of a well-defined interference peak associated to a unique angle $\phi_0$. Since this angle depends on factors such as refractive indexes, curvature elastic constants, anchoring regime, surface anchoring strength and radius R0, the measurement of $\phi_0$ from the interference experiments involving two different radii allows us to algebraically retrieve $K_{24}$. Our method allowed us to give the first reported estimation of $K_{24}$ for the lyotropic chromonic liquid crystal Sunset Yellow FCF: $K_{24}=2.1$ pN.