[en] 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.
Disciplines :
Physics
Author, co-author :
Heymans, Sven ; University of Luxembourg > Faculty of Science, Technology and Communication (FSTC) > Physics and Materials Science Research Unit