LMP Seminar: Opening nodes and inter-lamellar necks

Inter-lamellar necks are often observed in bicontinuous structures, and are believed to be the precursors of bicontinuous cubic phases. Node-opening is a class of sophisticated techniques in differential geometry that construct smooth surfaces by perturbing surfaces with singular points. Similarity between the two is hard to miss, but inter-disciplinary barrier has prevented conversation between physics and maths. In this talk, I will present some physics interpretations of node-opening. In particular, a prevailing misunderstanding back to the 1990s is rectified by recent developments.