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Point defects, topological chirality, and singularity theory in cholesteric liquid-crystal droplets
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Pollard, Joseph, Posnjak, Gregor, Copar, Simon, Musevic, Igor and Alexander, Gareth P. (2019) Point defects, topological chirality, and singularity theory in cholesteric liquid-crystal droplets. Physical Review X, 9 (2). 021004. doi:10.1103/PhysRevX.9.021004
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Official URL: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevX.9.021004
Abstract
We provide a characterization of point defects in droplets of cholesteric liquid crystal, using a combination of experiment, simulation, and theoretical analysis. These droplets display a range of structures including realizations of defects with high topological charge and arrangements of multiple defects in “topological molecules.” We show that there are certain defects that are incompatible with a uniform sense of chiral twisting for topological reasons. Furthermore, those defects that are compatible with twist of a single handedness are shown to have the structure of the gradient field of an isolated critical point and, hence, are described by singularity theory. We show that the mathematical tools of singularity theory reproduce, with excellent agreement, the experimental observations of high charge defects and topological molecules. Our results have implications beyond liquid crystal droplets in characterizing chiral materials and their topology in general.
| Item Type: | Journal Article | |||||||||
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| Subjects: | Q Science > QC Physics | |||||||||
| Divisions: | Faculty of Science > Centre for Complexity Science Faculty of Science > Mathematics Faculty of Science > Physics |
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| Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH): | Liquid crystals, Point defects, Topological defects (Physics), Chirality | |||||||||
| Journal or Publication Title: | Physical Review X | |||||||||
| Publisher: | American Physical Society | |||||||||
| ISSN: | 2160-3308 | |||||||||
| Official Date: | 8 April 2019 | |||||||||
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| Date of first compliant deposit: | 10 April 2019 | |||||||||
| Volume: | 9 | |||||||||
| Number: | 2 | |||||||||
| Article Number: | 021004 | |||||||||
| DOI: | 10.1103/PhysRevX.9.021004 | |||||||||
| Status: | Peer Reviewed | |||||||||
| Publication Status: | Published | |||||||||
| Access rights to Published version: | Restricted or Subscription Access | |||||||||
| RIOXX Funder/Project Grant: |
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