Bubble-raft model for a paraboloidal crystal.
We investigate crystalline order on a two-dimensional paraboloid of revolution by assembling a single layer of millimeter-sized soap bubbles on the surface of a rotating liquid, thus extending the classic work of Bragg and Nye on planar soap bubble rafts. Topological constraints require crystalline configurations to contain a certain minimum number of topological defects such as disclinations or grain boundary scars whose structure is analyzed as a function of the aspect ratio of the paraboloid. We find the defect structure to agree with theoretical predictions and propose a mechanism for scar nucleation in the presence of large Gaussian curvature.
Bowick
Mark J
MJ
Department of Physics, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY 13244-1130, USA.
Giomi
Luca
L
Shin
Homin
H
Thomas
Creighton K
CK