title: Stepwise transition of a topological defect from the smectic film to the boundary of a dipolar inclusion.
abstract: Cholesteric droplets accompanied by a topological defect are studied in free standing smectic C;{ *} films. We observed a transition between two droplet-defect configurations with the defect in the film and on the droplet boundary. We found that the distance between the droplet surface and the topological defect decreases continuously with increasing temperature and above a certain critical temperature the defect jumps to the droplet boundary. We relate this stepwise change in the defect position to the change in the anchoring on the droplet boundary. This transformation leads to a decrease in the interparticle distances in self-organized chains from droplets. Our simple theory allows us to estimate the value of the anchoring energy.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Solid State Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, 142432 Chernogolovka, Moscow District, Russia.
authors.forename: P V
authors.initials: PV
authors.lastname: Dolganov
authors.forename: E I
authors.initials: EI
authors.lastname: Kats
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Cluzeau
mesh_terms: D003198:Computer Simulation; D050866:Liquid Crystals / Q000737:chemistry*; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D008956:Models, Chemical; D044367:Phase Transition; D013499:Surface Properties; D013696:Temperature
chemical_list: D008567:Membranes, Artificial