arXiv subjects

Noel J. Walkington

Publications and source records attributed to Noel J. Walkington.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Stability and Convergence of HDG Schemes under Minimal Regularity

Convergence and compactness properties of approximate solutions to elliptic partial differential computed with the hybridized discontinuous Galerkin (HDG) are established. While it is known that solutions computed using the HDG scheme converge at optimal rates to smooth solutions, this does not establish the stability of the method or convergence to solutions with minimal regularity. The compactness and convergence results show that the HDG scheme can be utilized for the solution of nonlinear problems and linear problems with non-smooth coefficients on domains with reentrant corners.

math.NA↗

arXiv2020

Weighted Cheeger and Buser Inequalities, with Applications to Clustering and Cutting Probability Densities

In this paper, we show how sparse or isoperimetric cuts of a probability density function relate to Cheeger cuts of its principal eigenfunction, for appropriate definitions of `sparse cut' and `principal eigenfunction'. We construct these appropriate definitions of sparse cut and principal eigenfunction in the probability density setting. Then, we prove Cheeger and Buser type inequalities similar to those for the normalized graph Laplacian of Alon-Milman. We demonstrate that no such inequalities hold for most prior definitions of sparse cut and principal eigenfunction. We apply this result to generate novel algorithms for cutting probability densities and clustering data, including a principled variant of spectral clustering.

cs.LG↗

arXiv2018

Hardy-Muckenhoupt Bounds for Laplacian Eigenvalues

We present two graph quantities Psi(G,S) and Psi_2(G) which give constant factor estimates to the Dirichlet and Neumann eigenvalues, lambda(G,S) and lambda_2(G), respectively. Our techniques make use of a discrete Hardy-type inequality.

cs.DM↗

arXiv2017

Computational modeling of tactoid dynamics in chromonic liquid crystals

Motivated by recent experiments, the isotropic-nematic phase transition in chromonic liquid crystals is studied. As temperature decreases, nematic nuclei nucleate, grow, and coalesce, giving rise to tactoid microstructures in an isotropic liquid. These tactoids produce topological defects at domain junctions (disclinations in the bulk or point defects on the surface). We simulate such tactoid equilibria and their coarsening dynamics with a model using degree of order, a variable length director, and an interfacial normal as state descriptors. We adopt Ericksen's work and introduce an augmented Oseen-Frank energy, with non-convexity in both interfacial energy and the dependence of the energy on the degree of order. A gradient flow dynamics of this energy does not succeed in reproducing some simple expected feature of tactoid dynamics. Therefore, a strategy is devised based on continuum kinematics and thermodynamics to represent such features. The model is used to predict tactoid nucleation, expansion, and coalescence during the process of phase transition. We reproduce observed behaviors in experiments and perform an experimentally testable parametric study of the effect of bulk elastic and tactoid interfacial energy parameters on the interaction of interfacial and bulk fields in the tactoids.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2017

Q-tensor model for electrokinetics in nematic liquid crystals

We use a variational principle to derive a mathematical model for a nematic electrolyte in which the liquid crystalline component is described in terms of a second-rank order tensor. The model extends the previously developed director-based theory and accounts for presence of disclinations and possible biaxiality. We verify the model by considering a simple but illustrative example of liquid crystal-enabled electro-osmotic flow (LCEO) around a stationary dielectric spherical particle placed at the center of a large cylindrical container filled with a nematic electrolyte. Assuming homeotropic anchoring of the nematic on the surface of the particle and uniform distribution of the director on the surface of the container, we consider two configurations with a disclination equatorial ring and with a hyperbolic hedgehog, respectively. The computed electro-osmotic flows show a strong dependence on the director configurations and on the anisotropies of dielectric permittivity and electric conductivity of the nematic characteristic of liquid crystal-enabled electrokinetics. Further, the simulations demonstrate space charge separation around the dielectric sphere, even in the case of isotropic permittivity and conductivity. This is in agreement with the induced-charge electro-osmotic effect described for isotropic electrolytes surrounding dielectric spheres.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2016

Electro-osmosis in nematic liquid crystals

We derive a mathematical model of a nematic electrolyte based on a variational formulation of nematodynamics. Extending our previous work, we consider a general setup which incorporates dielectric anisotropy of the liquid-crystalline matrix and the full set of nematic viscosities. We verify the model by comparing its predictions to the results of the experiments on the substrate-controlled liquid-crystal-enabled electrokinetics. In the experiments a nematic liquid crystal confined to a thin planar cell with surface-patterned anchoring conditions exhibit electro-osmotic flows along the "guiding rails" imposed by the spatially varying director.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2016

Modeling of nematic electrolyte and nonlinear electroosmosis

We derive a mathematical model of a nematic electrolyte based on the Leslie-Ericksen theory of liquid crystal flow. Our goal is to investigate the nonlinear electrokinetic effects that occur because the nematic matrix is anisotropic, in particular, transport of ions in a direction perpendicular to the electric field as well as quadratic dependence of the induced flow velocity on the electric field. The latter effect makes it possible to generate sustained flows in the nematic electrolyte that do not reverse their direction when the polarity of the applied electric field is reversed. From a practical perspective, this enables the design of AC-driven electrophoretic and electroosmotic devices. Our study of a special flow in a thin nematic film shows a very good agreement with laboratory experiments.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2016

Dual-Mixed Finite Element Methods for the Navier-Stokes Equations

A mixed finite element method for the Navier-Stokes equations is introduced in which the stress is a primary variable. The variational formulation retains the mathematical structure of the Navier-Stokes equations and the classical theory extends naturally to this setting. Finite element spaces satisfying the associated inf-sup conditions are developed.

math.NA↗