Defect transitions in nematic liquid-crystal capillary bridges.
basic_science · Level V
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- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 29758727.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1103/PhysRevE.97.040701.
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Abstract
We use experiment and computational modeling to understand the defect structure and director configuration in a nematic liquid crystal capillary bridge confined between two parallel plates. We find that tuning of the aspect ratio of the bridge drives a transition between a ring defect and a point defect. This transition exhibits hysteresis, due to the metastability of the point-defect structure. In addition, we see that the shape of the capillary-bridge surface determines whether the defect is hyperbolic or radial, with waistlike bridges containing hyperbolic defects and barrel-like bridges containing radial defects.