title: Pattern-stabilized decorated polar liquid-crystal fibers.
abstract: Geometric frustration gives rise to new fundamental phenomena and is known to yield the formation of exotic states of matter, such as incommensurate crystals, modulated liquid-crystalline phases, and phases stabilized by defects. In this Letter, we present a detailed study of polar structure of freely suspended fluid filaments in a polarization modulated liquid-crystal phase. We show that a periodic pattern of polarization-splay stripes separated by defect boundaries and decorating smectic layers can stabilize the structure of fluid fibers against the Rayleigh-Plateau instability. The instability is suppressed by the resistance of the defect structure to a radial compression of the cylindrical fibers. Our results provide direct experimental observation of a link between the stability of the liquid fibers, internal polar order, and geometrical constraints. They open a new perspective on a wide range of fluid polar fiber materials.
authors.affiliation: Otto-von-Guericke Universität Magdeburg, Institute for Experimental Physics, ANP, 39016 Magdeburg, Germany. alexey.eremin@ovgu.de
authors.forename: Alexey
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Eremin
authors.forename: Ulrike
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Kornek
authors.forename: Stephan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Stern
authors.forename: Ralf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Stannarius
authors.forename: Fumito
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Araoka
authors.forename: Hideo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Takezoe
authors.forename: Hajnalka
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nádasi
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Weissflog
authors.forename: Antal
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jákli