title: Holes and disclinations in hybrid nematic liquid crystal films.
abstract: Defect patterns in hybrid nematic liquid crystal films of pentylcyanobiphenyl (5CB) on a glycerol surface were studied with polarized transmission and monochromatic reflected light microscopy. We report that disclinations of apparent topological strength zero, stable pairs of +1 and -1 disclinations, and higher strength defects found in these films are stabilized by holes in the liquid crystal film. These holes are produced by a monolayer of surfactant on the glycerol surface. In addition, we describe the topology of the director field in the film during the coalescing of two such holes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Organic and Polymeric Materials, Tokyo Institute of Technology, O-okayama 2-12-1, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8552, Japan.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nakata
authors.forename: D R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Link
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Takanishi
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ishikawa
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Takezoe