| Title: | Stable assemblies of topological defects in nematic orientational order |
|---|
| Authors: | ID Hölbl, Arbresha (Author)
ID Mesarec, Luka (Author)
ID Polanšek, Juš (Author)
ID Iglič, Aleš (Author)
ID Kralj, Samo (Author) |
|---|
| Files: |  RAZ_Holbl_Arbresha_2023.pdf (6,14 MB)
MD5: FAF1238FF85AF9BCB3339A017AF54C77
 https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsomega.2c07174#
|
|---|
| Language: | English |
|---|
| Work type: | Article |
|---|
| Typology: | 1.01 - Original Scientific Article |
|---|
| Organization: | FNM - Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics
|
|---|
| Abstract: | We considered general mechanisms enabling the stabilization of localized assemblies of topological defects (TDs). There is growing evidence that physical fields represent fundamental natural entities, and therefore these features are of interest to all branches of physics. In general, cores of TDs are energetically costly, and consequently, assemblies of TDs are unfavorable. Owing to the richness of universalities in the physics of TDs, it is of interest to identify systems where they are easily experimentally accessible, enabling detailed and well-controlled analysis of their universal behavior, and cross-fertilizing knowledge in different areas of physics. In this respect, thermotropic nematic liquid crystals (NLCs) represent an ideal experiment testbed for such studies. In addition, TDs in NLCs could be exploited in several applications. We present examples that emphasize the importance of curvature imposed on the phase component of the relevant order parameter field. In NLCs, it is represented by the nematic tensor order parameter. Using a simple Landau-type approach, we show how the coupling between chirality and saddle splay elasticity, which can be expressed as a Gaussian curvature contribution, can stabilize Meron TDs. The latter have numerous analogs in other branches of physics. TDs in 2D curved manifolds reveal that the Gaussian curvature dominantly impacts the assembling and stabilization of TDs. Furthermore, a strong enough curvature that serves as an attractor for TDs is a respective field that could be imposed in a fast enough phase transition. Assemblies of created TDs created in such a disordered environment could be stabilized by appropriate impurities. |
|---|
| Keywords: | topological defects, nematic liquid crystals, Gaussian curvature, topological charge |
|---|
| Publication status: | Published |
|---|
| Publication version: | Version of Record |
|---|
| Submitted for review: | 07.11.2022 |
|---|
| Article acceptance date: | 07.12.2022 |
|---|
| Publication date: | 20.12.2022 |
|---|
| Publisher: | American Chemical Society |
|---|
| Year of publishing: | 2023 |
|---|
| Number of pages: | 169-179 |
|---|
| Numbering: | Vol. 8, iss. 1 |
|---|
| PID: | 20.500.12556/DKUM-84744  |
|---|
| UDC: | 532.783 |
|---|
| ISSN on article: | 2470-1343 |
|---|
| COBISS.SI-ID: | 137430275 |
|---|
| DOI: | 10.1021/acsomega.2c07174 |
|---|
| Publication date in DKUM: | 17.07.2023 |
|---|
| Views: | 421 |
|---|
| Downloads: | 28 |
|---|
| Metadata: |    |
|---|
| Categories: | Misc.
|
|---|
|
:
|
Copy citation |
|---|
| | | | Average score: | (0 votes) |
|---|
| Your score: | Voting is allowed only for logged in users. |
|---|
| Share: |  |
|---|
Hover the mouse pointer over a document title to show the abstract or click
on the title to get all document metadata. |
