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A DISTRIBUTED COMPUTING APPROACH TO THE SIMULATION OF LIQUID CRYSTAL LATTICE MODELS

CESARE CHICCOLI

INFN Sezione di Bologna, Via Irnerio 46, 40126 Bologna, Italy

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PAOLO PASINI

INFN Sezione di Bologna, Via Irnerio 46, 40126 Bologna, Italy

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FRANCO SEMERIA

INFN Sezione di Bologna, Via Irnerio 46, 40126 Bologna, Italy

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CLAUDIO ZANNONI

Dipartimento di Chimica Fisica e Inorganica and INSTM, Universitá, Viale Risorgimento 4, 40136 Bologna, Italy

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https://doi.org/10.1142/S0129183107011698Cited by:1 (Source: Crossref)

Abstract

We have studied a lattice spin model of nematic liquid crystal-polymer composite films by means of extensive Monte Carlo simulations over a distributed computing network. The Condor processing system installed on the Italian Nuclear Physics Institute computer network was used. The use of several geometries and boundary conditions allowed us to investigate a wide number of different realistic or speculative models. Many of the simulations differ only by a small number of parameters and they can be effectively performed in parallel. The results of the simulations can be analyzed globally when all the computations are completed and then for example, employed to extrapolate phase diagrams or other complex physical quantities. They provide an effective example of wide area distributed computing applications which could be also implemented in future GRID approaches.

Keywords:

PACS: 2.70.Uu, 07.05.Tp, 61.30.-v

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