title: Backflow-induced asymmetric collapse of disclination lines in liquid crystals.
abstract: We present experiments where opposed pairs of planar parallel disclination lines of topological strength s=+/-1 move due to their mutual attraction. Our measurements show that their motion is clearly asymmetric, with +1 defects moving up to twice as fast as -1 ones. This is a clear indication of backflow, given the intrinsic isotropic elasticity of our system. A phenomenological model is able to account for the experimental observations by renormalizing the orientational diffusivity estimated from the velocity of each defect.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Physique, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, 46 allée d'Italie, 69364 Lyon, Cedex 07, France. patrick.oswald@ens-lyon.fr
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Oswald
authors.forename: Jordi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ignés-Mullol
mesh_terms: D002784:Cholesterol / Q000737:chemistry; D003460:Crystallization; D004058:Diffusion; D004548:Elasticity; D008956:Models, Chemical; D014783:Viscosity
chemical_list: D002784:Cholesterol