Eigenframe discontinuities of the Q-tensor model

Abstract In this paper, we study the defect structure of minimizer of a Landau-de Gennes energy functional in three-dimensional domains, subject to constraint $$|Q|=1$$ <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:mrow> <mml:mo>|</mml:mo> <mml:mi>Q</mml:mi> <mml:mo>|</mml:mo> <mml:mo>=</mml:mo> <mml:mn>1</mml:mn> </mml:mrow> </mml:math> . The set of defects is identified by discontinuities in both the eigenframe and the leading eigenvector. Through a blow-up analysis, we prove that the defect set is 1-rectifiable and classify the asymptotic profile of the leading eigenvector near singularities. This generalizes some previous results on the structure of ring disclinations in the Q -tensor model.