(Image credit: Zina Deretsky, National Science Foundation) In a recent paper, we describe a method to design 3D shapes through the controlled growth of a thin polymer sheet. The method relies on a polymer film whose internal chemistry, and consequently its response to stimuli, is altered by shining ultraviolet light (UV) through a mask. The […]
Research
Description of latest research
New paper: Riemann’s surface is screwy
Riemann’s minimal surface, shown here, is a singly-periodic surface of channels connecting flat layers. In a new paper, we show that it can be decomposed into two more fundamental defects, called screw dislocations. See the paper: S.A. Matsumoto, C.D. Santangelo and R.D. Kamien, “Smectic pores and defect cores,” accepted Interfaces Focus, [ARXIV] (2012). Abstract: Riemann’s […]
New paper: Nonlinear elasticity of layers
Smectic liquid crystals are composed of layers which can bend but otherwise maintain close to a uniform spacing. In such a material, the layer shapes are represented by a displacement giving their deviation from the ideal ground state configuration. The layered nature of this phase connects the bending energy of the layers to the spacing […]