Related papers: Optically enriched and guided dynamics of active s…
Topological solitons, such as skyrmions, arise in field theories of systems ranging from Bose-Einstein condensates to optics, particle physics, and cosmology, but they are rarely accessible experimentally. Chiral nematic liquid crystals…
Coexistence of order and fluidity in soft matter often mimics that in biology, allowing for complex dynamics and applications like displays. In active soft matter, emergent order can arise because of such dynamics. Powered by local energy…
Skyrmions, originally from condensed matter physics, have been widely explored in various physical systems, including soft matter. A crucial challenge in manipulating topological solitary waves like skyrmions is controlling their flow on…
Twisted light carries a non-zero orbital angular momentum, that can be transferred from light to electrons and particles ranging from nanometers to micrometers. Up to now, the interplay between twisted light with dipolar systems has…
Topologically nontrivial field configurations called "baby skyrmions" behave like particles and give origins to the field of skyrmionics that promises racetrack memory and other technological applications. Unraveling the non-equilibrium…
Skyrmions have attracted rapidly growing interest due to their topological properties and unique aspects for potential novel applications such as data storage and soft robotics. They can also serve as key elements for materials by design,…
The potential for manipulating characteristics of skyrmions in a CrI$_3$ monolayer using circularly polarised light is explored. The effective skyrmion-light interaction is mediated by bright excitons whose magnetization is selectively…
Active materials are capable of converting free energy into mechanical work to produce autonomous motion, and exhibit striking collective dynamics that biology relies on for essential functions. Controlling those dynamics and transport in…
Skyrmions are topologically stable quasiparticles that have been predicted and demonstrated in quantum fields, solid-state physics, and magnetic materials, but only recently observed in electromagnetic fields, triggering fast expanding…
Intense light propagating in a nonlinear medium can generate an ensemble of interacting filaments of light, or spatial solitons. Using nematic liquid crystals, we demonstrate that they undergo a collective behavior typical of complex…
Active colloids and liquid crystals are capable of locally converting the macroscopically-supplied energy into directional motion and promise a host of new applications, ranging from drug delivery to cargo transport at the mesoscale. Here…
Topological defects play a key role in a variety of physical systems, ranging from high-energy to solid state physics. They yield fascinating emergent phenomena and serve as a bridge between the microspic and macroscopic world. A skyrmion…
Topological photonics harnesses the physics of topological insulators to control the behavior of light. Photonic modes robust against material imperfections are an example of such control. In this work, we propose a soft-matter platform…
Living organisms are molecular systems with self-sustained dynamics via energy conversion through molecular cooperation, resulting in highly complex macroscopic behaviors. Construction of such autonomous macroscopic dynamics at a molecular…
Liquid crystals are known for their optical birefringence, a property that gives rise to intricate patterns and colors when viewed in a microscope between crossed polarisers. Resulting images are rich in geometric patterns and serve as…
We propose the first Skyrmion Spin Ice, realized via confined, interacting liquid crystal skyrmions. Skyrmions in a chiral nematic liquid crystal behave as quasi-particles that can be dynamically confined, bound, and created or annihilated…
Artificial soft matter systems have appeared as important tools to harness mechanical motion for microscale manipulation. Typically, this motion is driven either by the external fields or by mutual interaction between the colloids. In the…
The skyrmion, which is characterised by a topological integer, is a structure that is topologically stable against local disturbances. The huge potential of skyrmions for use in magnetic storage systems has drawn considerable research…
Thanks to a constant energy input, active matter can self-assemble into phases with complex architectures and functionalities such as living clusters that dynamically form, reshape and break-up, which are forbidden in equilibrium materials…
Magnetic monopoles, despite their ongoing experimental search as elementary particles, have inspired the discovery of analogous excitations in condensed matter systems. In chiral condensed matter systems, emergent monopoles are responsible…