Dipolar colloids in nematostatics: Tensorial structure, symmetry, different types, and their interaction

Abstract

In spite of the analogy to the electrostatics, the three-dimensional colloidal nematostatics is substantially different in both its mathematical structure and its physical implications. The general tensorial structure of elastic multipoles derived in V. M. Pergamenshchik and V. O. Uzunova [Eur. Phys. J. E 23, 161 (2007); Phys. Rev. E 76, 011707 (2007)] allows for a classification of different types of colloids in the nematostatics. In comparison to their electrostatic counterparts, the elastic multipoles have one extra tensorial index. Based on this structure, we identify possible types of elastic dipoles. An elastic dipole is characterized by three coefficients-isotropic strength, anisotropy, and chirality-and a two-component vector along the unperturbed director. The relationship between the dipole type and symmetry groups is established and sketches of various representative types of dipolar colloids are given. Instead of a single electric dipole, in the nematostatics there are four different pure types (dipolar singlets) and eight mixed types of elastic dipoles (one quintet, one quartet, two triplets, and four doublets). It is shown that the full symmetry of the colloid-induced director field and the colloid's shape (body) symmetry determine different dipole components. For instance, a helicoidal component of the anchoring easy axes can make a chiral elastic dipole of a colloid with the quadrupolar shape symmetry. The interaction potentials for different singlet and doublet dipoles are derived and illustrated in terms of the dipolar dyads and elastic Coulomb law. We argue that multipole parameters must be found by pure numerical means, as from ansatz director distributions one can find only orders of their magnitudes.