Chirality-biased point defects dynamics on a disclination line in a nematic liquid crystal.
Chiral additives in the nematic liquid crystal can alter the dynamics of point defects moving on a disclination line. They exert a constant force on defects, leading to the bimodal distribution of distances between them at long times. The evolution of the system of defects in the presence of chiral additives provides a very direct proof of the existence of repulsive forces between the defects at large distances. We find that addition of a sufficient amount of chiral compound removes all point defects from the system. The process is studied in the system of 8CB (4-n-octyl-4'-cyanobiphenyl) doped with the chiral compound S811 (from Merck Co.) and in the computer simulations.
Zywociński
Andrzej
A
Laboratoire de Physique, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, 46 Allée d'Italie, 69364 Lyon Cedex 07, France. zywot@ichf.edu.pl
Pawlak
Katarzyna
K
Hołyst
Robert
R
Oswald
Patrick
P