Related papers: Escape from the Second Dimension: A Topological Di…
The order parameter of the smectic liquid crystal phase is the same as that of a superfluid or superconductor, namely a complex scalar field. We show that the essential difference in boundary conditions between these systems leads to a…
In this paper, the second part of a survey of the geometric properties of defects in quasicrystals studied from the Volterra viewpoint (see ref. [1]), we show that: 1$- $ a {\sf disvection line} L$_{||} \subset \mathrm E_{||}$ of Burgers…
In this work, we investigate the topological properties of knotted defects in smectic liquid crystals. Our story begins with screw dislocations, whose radial surface structure can be smoothly accommodated on $S^3$ for fibred knots by using…
This paper develops a geometrical model of dislocations and disclinations in single crystals at the mesoscopic scale. In the continuation of previous work the distribution theory is used to represent concentrated effects in the defect lines…
Smectic liquid crystals are charcterized by layers that have a preferred uniform spacing and vanishing curvature in their ground state. Dislocations in the smectics play an important role in phase nucleation, layer reorientation, and…
This study presents a comprehensive mathematical model for Volterra defects and explores their relations using differential geometry on Riemann--Cartan manifolds. Following the standard Volterra process, we derived the Cartan moving frame,…
The static stress needed to depin a 2D edge dislocation, the lower dynamic stress needed to keep it moving, its velocity and displacement vector profile are calculated from first principles. We use a simplified discrete model whose far…
We report on the first direct nanoscale imaging of elementary edge dislocations in a thermotropic chiral smectic C liquid crystal with the Burgers vector equal to one smectic layer spacing d. We find two different types of dislocation…
Disclinations, first observed in mesomorphic phases, are relevant to a number of ill-ordered condensed matter media, with continuous symmetries or frustrated order. They also appear in polycrystals at the edges of grain boundaries. They are…
Using experiments with single particle resolution and computer simulations we study the collective behaviour of multiple vacancies injected into two-dimensional crystals. We find that the defects assemble into linear strings that propagate…
The homotopy theory of topological defects in ordered media fails to completely characterize systems with broken translational symmetry. We argue that the problem can be understood in terms of the lack of rotational Goldstone modes in such…
The interaction of two screw dislocations in smectic-A liquid crystals is treated using an anharmonic correction to the elastic energy density. In the present contribution the elastic energy and the force between two screw dislocations is…
Dislocations play a key role in the understanding of many phenomena in solid state physics, materials science, crystallography and engineering. Dislocations are line defects producing distortions and self-stresses in an otherwise perfect…
We study the topology of smectic defects in two and three dimensions. We give a topological classification of smectic point defects and disclination lines in three dimensions. In addition we describe the combination rules for smectic point…
Extended topological defects (ETDs) arising in spherical hexagonal crystals due to their curvature are considered. These prevalent defects carry a unit total topological charge and are surrounded by scalene pentagonal boundaries.…
A discrete model describing defects in crystal lattices and having the standard linear anisotropic elasticity as its continuum limit is proposed. The main ingredients entering the model are the elastic stiffness constants of the material…
We show the correspondence between a screw dislocation in gradient elasticity and a regularized vortex. The effective Burgers vector, nonsingular distortion and stress fields of a screw dislocation and the effective circulation, smoothed…
We report on the identification and quantitative characterization of elementary edge and screw dislocations in a colloidal smectic phase of tip-labeled rods. Thanks to the micrometer layer spacing, direct visualization of dislocations has…
The notion of a congruence of effective dislocation lines endowed with the nonvanishing local Burgers vector is introduced. Particularly, the class of congruences of principal Volterra-type effective dislocation lines associated with the…
We consider scattering of elastic waves on parallel wedge dislocations in the geometric theory of defects or, equivalently, scattering of point particles and light rays on cosmic strings. Dislocations are described as torsion singularities…