Finite-size effects on order reconstruction around nematic defects

Samo Kralj (Author), Riccardo Rosso (Author), Epifanio G. Virga (Author)

Abstract

By use of the Landau-de Gennes phenomenological theory, we study the texture of a nematic liquid crystal confined within a hybrid cell. Precisely, we consider cylindrically symmetric solutions containing topological defects dictated by appropriate boundary conditions. We focus our attention on cells whose dimensions are comparable with the biaxial correlation length ▫$\xi_b$▫. For such severe confinements the order reconstruction (OR) configuration could be stable. Its structural details reflect the balance among boundary-enforced frustration, elastic penalties, and finite-size effects. In particular, we analyze the interplay between finite-size effects and topological defects. We show that defects are always pinned to the negatively (planar) uniaxial sheet of the OR structure. The presence of a ring defect can dramatically increase the critical threshold below which the OR structure is stable.

Keywords

fizika;tekoči kristali;nematični kristali;nematični defekti;strukturni prehodi;physics;liquid crystals;nematic crystals;nematic defects;structural transitions;

Data

Language:	English
Year of publishing:	2010
Typology:	1.01 - Original Scientific Article
Organization:	UM FNM - Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics
UDC:	532.783
COBISS:	17429000
ISSN:	1539-3755
Views:	1587
Downloads:	82
Average score:	0 (0 votes)
Metadata:

Other data

Secondary language:	English
Secondary keywords:	fizika;tekoči kristali;nematični kristali;nematični defekti;strukturni prehodi;
URN:	URN:SI:UM:
Pages:	str. 021702-1-021702-15
Volume:	ǂVol. ǂ81
Issue:	ǂno. ǂ2
Chronology:	2010
DOI:	10.1103/PhysRevE.81.021702
ID:	8723833