Related papers: Topological Inclusions in 2D Smectic-C Films
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…
Disclinations or disclination clusters in smectic C freely suspended films with topological charges larger than one are unstable. They disintegrate, preferably in a spatially symmetric fashion, into single defects with individual charges…
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…
The ability to manipulate polar entities with multiple external fields opens exciting possibilities for emerging functionalities and novel applications in spin systems, photonics, metamaterials, and soft matter. Liquid crystals (LCs),…
We use a two-dimensional (2D) elastic free energy to calculate the effective interaction between two circular disks immersed in smectic-$C$ films. For strong homeotropic anchoring, the distortion of the director field caused by the disks…
Local topological charge structure in the 2D CP(N-1) sigma models is studied using the overlap Dirac operator. Long-range coherence of topological charge along locally 1D regions in 2D space-time is observed. We discuss the connection…
Using computer simulations we investigate the microscopic structure of the singular director field within a nematic droplet. As a theoretical model for nematic liquid crystals we take hard spherocylinders. To induce an overall topological…
Grain boundaries in extremely confined colloidal smectics possess a topological fine structure with coexisting nematic and tetratic symmetry of the director field. An alternative way to approach the problem of smectic topology is via the…
We present a method for predicting the linear response deformation of finite and semi-infinite 2D solid structures with circular holes and inclusions by employing the analogies with image charges and induction in electrostatics. Charges in…
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…
We propose a general formalism to characterize orientational frustration of smectic liquid crystals in confinement by interpreting the emerging networks of grain boundaries as objects with a topological charge. In a formal idealization,…
Spontaneous onset of a low temperature topologically ordered phase in a 2-dimensional (2D) lattice model of uniaxial liquid crystal (LC) was debated extensively pointing to a suspected underlying mechanism affecting the RG flow near the…
We develop a theory of electron-photon interaction for helical edge channels in two-dimensional topological insulators based on zinc-blende-type quantum wells. It is shown that the lack of space inversion symmetry in such structures enables…
Directional media, such as nematic liquid crystals and ferromagnets, are characterized by their topologically stabilized defects in directional order. In nematics, boundary conditions and surface-treated inclusions often create complex…
Topological phases of light exhibit unique properties beyond the realm of conventional photonics. In particular the valley-Hall topological insulator has been realized in a variety of photonic structures because it can be easily induced by…
A flux liquid can condense into a smectic crystal in a pure layered superconductors with the magnetic field oriented nearly parallel to the layers. If the smectic order is commensurate with the layering, this crystal is {\sl stable} to…
Photonic crystals have been demonstrated as a versatile platform for the study of topological phenomena. The recent discovery of higher order topological insulators introduces new aspects of topological photonic crystals which are yet to be…
Quantized responses are important tools for understanding and characterizing the universal features of topological phases of matter. In this work, we consider a class of topological crystalline insulators in $3$D with $C_n$ lattice rotation…
Topological semimetals, such as Dirac, Weyl, or line-node semimetals, are gapless states of matter characterized by their nodal band structures and surface states. In this work, we consider layered (topologically trivial) insulating systems…
Topological defects are one of the most conspicuous features of liquid crystals. In two dimensional nematics, they have been shown to behave effectively as particles with both, charge and orientation, which dictate their interactions. Here,…