Dislocation dynamics with applications to the Portevin-Le Chatelier effect and smectic liquid crystals

• Grant number: 12/23679-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Post-doctor
• Start date: April 21, 2013
• End date: April 20, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Physics - General Physics
• Principal Investigator: Silvio Roberto de Azevedo Salinas
• Grantee: Danilo Barbosa Liarte
• Supervisor: James P. Sethna
• Host Institution: Instituto de Física (IF). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Cornell University, United States
• Associated to the scholarship: 11/01779-6 - Statistical models for spin glasses and complex fluids, BP.PD

Abstract

We propose to study the dynamical evolution of dislocations in solid and liquid crystals, which is a theme of great importance in the areas of soft matter physics and disordered systems, with enormous interest to the statistical mechanics groups of IFUSP and of Cornell University, and which is perfectly adequate to the research lines of the INCT about Complex Fluids. In particular, we plan to investigate the origin and peculiar dynamics associated with the Portevin-Le Chatelier effect (PLC), which is related to plastic instabilities of dilute alloys; we also plan to extend the dynamical theory proposed by the group of Prof. James Sethna to describe the evolution of dislocations in smectic liquid crystals. (AU)