Reduction theory for symmetry breaking with applications to nematic systems

TL;DR

This paper develops a geometric framework for systems with broken symmetry, applying it to nematic materials, deriving equations of motion, invariants, and Poisson structures relevant for understanding their complex behavior.

Contribution

It introduces explicit Euler-Poincaré and Lagrange-Poincaré equations for nematic systems, extending symmetry reduction techniques to these materials.

Findings

Derived explicit equations of motion for nematic molecules and liquid crystals.

Presented the Poisson brackets and Hamiltonian structures for nematic systems.

Identified invariants such as the helicity for uniaxial nematics.

Abstract

We formulate Euler-Poincar\'e and Lagrange-Poincar\'e equations for systems with broken symmetry. We specialize the general theory to present explicit equations of motion for nematic systems, ranging from single nematic molecules to biaxial liquid crystals. The geometric construction applies to order parameter spaces consisting of either unsigned unit vectors (directors) or symmetric matrices (alignment tensors). On the Hamiltonian side, we provide the corresponding Poisson brackets in both Lie-Poisson and Hamilton-Poincar\'e formulations. The explicit form of the helicity invariant for uniaxial nematics is also presented, together with a whole class of invariant quantities (Casimirs) for two dimensional incompressible flows.