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Particle-resolved topological defects of smectic colloidal liquid crystals in extreme confinement

Author

Listed:
  • René Wittmann

    (Institut für Theoretische Physik II: Weiche Materie, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf)

  • Louis B. G. Cortes

    (University of Oxford
    School of Applied and Engineering Physics, Cornell University)

  • Hartmut Löwen

    (Institut für Theoretische Physik II: Weiche Materie, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf)

  • Dirk G. A. L. Aarts

    (University of Oxford)

Abstract

Confined samples of liquid crystals are characterized by a variety of topological defects and can be exposed to external constraints such as extreme confinements with nontrivial topology. Here we explore the intrinsic structure of smectic colloidal layers dictated by the interplay between entropy and an imposed external topology. Considering an annular confinement as a basic example, a plethora of competing states is found with nontrivial defect structures ranging from laminar states to multiple smectic domains and arrays of edge dislocations, which we refer to as Shubnikov states in formal analogy to the characteristic of type-II superconductors. Our particle-resolved results, gained by a combination of real-space microscopy of thermal colloidal rods and fundamental-measure-based density functional theory of hard anisotropic bodies, agree on a quantitative level.

Suggested Citation

  • René Wittmann & Louis B. G. Cortes & Hartmut Löwen & Dirk G. A. L. Aarts, 2021. "Particle-resolved topological defects of smectic colloidal liquid crystals in extreme confinement," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 12(1), pages 1-10, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:12:y:2021:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-020-20842-5
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-20842-5
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    Cited by:

    1. Jack Paget & Marco G. Mazza & Andrew J. Archer & Tyler N. Shendruk, 2023. "Complex-tensor theory of simple smectics," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-13, December.

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