Elastic properties of the nematic phase in hard ellipsoids of short aspect ratio

in Physical Review. E : Statistical, Nonlinear, and Soft Matter Physics (2017), 96(022708),

We present a Monte Carlo simulation study of suspensions of hard ellipsoids of revolution. Based on the spatial fluctuations of the orientational order, we have computed the Frank elastic constants for ... [more ▼]

We present a Monte Carlo simulation study of suspensions of hard ellipsoids of revolution. Based on the spatial fluctuations of the orientational order, we have computed the Frank elastic constants for prolate and oblate ellipsoids and compared them to the affine transformation model. The affine transformation model predicts the right order of magnitude of the twist and bend constant but not of the splay constant. In addition, we report the observation of a stable nematic phase at an aspect ratio as low as 2.5. [less ▲]