title: Probing elastic anisotropy from defect dynamics in Langmuir monolayers.
abstract: We study the dynamics of annihilation of point defects in Langmuir monolayers. The absence of hydrodynamic effects allows us to quantitatively relate the asymmetry in defect mobility to the elastic anisotropy of the material, which in turn can be varied through the control of the surface pressure applied to the monolayer. Using the proposed theoretical analysis, we are able to obtain rather elusive equilibrium properties out of relatively simple dynamical measurements. In particular, we measure the elastic constants and their pressure dependence.
authors.affiliation: Institut de Nanociència i Nanotecnologia de la UB (IN2UB), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Brugués
authors.forename: Jordi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ignés-Mullol
authors.forename: Jaume
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Casademunt
authors.forename: Francesc
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sagués