On the shape of smectic droplets

Smectic liquid crystals are fluids with periodic layered order, which geometrically proves extremely restrictive: Only a few families of surface are compatible with a constant layer spacing. Here we investigate the shape of a smectic droplet---or tactoid---with deformable boundaries, whereby the smectic order competes with the surface tension and anchoring to give a rich variety of morphologies. Using *Morpho*, a programmable environment for shape optimization, we explore the range of possible morphologies as a function of system parameters and identify possible transitions between minimizers. Prospects for simulating tactoids with other exotic liquid crystals are also discussed.