Far Field Asymptotics of Nematic Flows Around a Small Spherical Particle

Abstract

Given a small spherical particle, we consider flow of a nematic liquid crystal in the corresponding exterior domain. Our focus is on precise far field asymptotic behavior of the flow in a parameter regime when the governing equations can be reduced to a system of linear partial differential equations. We are able to analytically characterize the velocity of the flow and compare it to the classical expression for the Stokes flow. The expression for velocity away from the particle can be computed either numerically or symbolically.