Mean-Field Limit and Phase Transitions for Nematic Liquid Crystals in the Continuum

We discuss thermotropic nematic liquid crystals in the mean-field regime. In the first part of this article, we rigorously carry out the mean-field limit of a system of N rod-like particles as N→ ∞, which yields an effective ‘one-body’ free energy functional. In the second part, we focus on spatially homogeneous systems, for which we study the associated Euler–Lagrange equation, with a focus on phase transitions for general axisymmetric potentials. We prove that the system is isotropic at high temperature, while anisotropic distributions appear through a transcritical bifurcation as the temperature is lowered. Finally, as the temperature goes to zero we also prove, in the concrete case of the Maier–Saupe potential, that the system converges to perfect nematic order.