title: Generating the Hopf fibration experimentally in nematic liquid crystals.
abstract: The Hopf fibration is an example of a texture: a topologically stable, smooth, global configuration of a field. Here we demonstrate the controlled sculpting of the Hopf fibration in nematic liquid crystals through the control of point defects. We demonstrate how these are related to torons by use of a topological visualization technique derived from the Pontryagin-Thom construction.
authors.affiliation: Instituut-Lorentz, Universiteit Leiden, Postbus 9506, 2300 RA Leiden, Netherlands and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA.
authors.forename: Bryan Gin-ge
authors.initials: BG
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309, USA.
authors.forename: Paul J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Ackerman
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics and Centre for Complexity Science, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Gareth P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Alexander
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA.
authors.forename: Randall D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Kamien
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309, USA.
authors.forename: Ivan I
authors.initials: II
authors.lastname: Smalyukh