title: Colloidal nanoparticles trapped by liquid-crystal defect lines: a lattice Monte Carlo simulation.
abstract: Lattice-based Monte Carlo simulations are performed to study a confined liquid crystal system with a topological disclination line entangling a colloidal nanoparticle. In our microscopic study the disclination line is stretched by moving the colloid, as in laser tweezing experiments, which results in a restoring force attempting to minimize the disclination length. From constant-force simulations we extract the corresponding disclination line tension, estimated as ∼50 pN, and observe its decrease with increasing temperature.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, University of Ljubljana, Jadranska 19, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia and School of Physics, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad 500046, Telangana, India.
authors.forename: Regina
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Jose
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, University of Ljubljana, Jadranska 19, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia and NAMASTE Center of Excellence, Jamova 39, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
authors.forename: Gregor
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Skačej
authors.affiliation: School of Physics, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad 500046, Telangana, India.
authors.forename: V S S
authors.initials: VS
authors.lastname: Sastry
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, University of Ljubljana, Jadranska 19, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia and NAMASTE Center of Excellence, Jamova 39, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
authors.forename: Slobodan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Žumer
mesh_terms: D003102:Colloids; D050866:Liquid Crystals; D009010:Monte Carlo Method; D009038:Motion; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry*; D010316:Particle Size
chemical_list: D003102:Colloids