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Action of fields on captive disclination loops

The European Physical Journal E volume 40, Article number: 28 (2017) Cite this article

Abstract.

We report on two effects observed in experiments with captive disclination loops on polymeric fibers immersed in nematics and submitted to electric and/or magnetic fields. We show that the magnetic field oblique to a fiber with axial or helicoidal anchoring on its surface induces translation of disclination loops. Fields orthogonal to fibers with helicoidal anchoring make disclination loops rotate around the field direction. In the linear regime of this last chirogyral effect, the angle of rotation is proportional to the helix wave vector and its sense unveils the chirality of the helix. We propose a model explaining the origin and all features of these two effects.

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Affiliations

  1. Laboratoire de Physique des Solides, Université Paris-Sud, Bât. 510, 91405, Orsay, France

    Mallory Dazza & Pawel Pieranski

  2. École normale supérieure de Cachan, 61 Avenue du Président Wilson, 94235, Cachan, France

    Mallory Dazza

  3. CENIMAT, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829 - 516, Caparica, Portugal

    Rui Cabeça & Maria Helena Godinho

  4. Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, University of Ljubljana, Jadranska 19, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia

    Simon Čopar

Authors
  1. Mallory Dazza
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  2. Rui Cabeça
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  3. Simon Čopar
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  4. Maria Helena Godinho
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  5. Pawel Pieranski
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Correspondence to Pawel Pieranski.

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Dazza, M., Cabeça, R., Čopar, S. et al. Action of fields on captive disclination loops. Eur. Phys. J. E 40, 28 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1140/epje/i2017-11516-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1140/epje/i2017-11516-6

Keywords

  • Soft Matter: Liquid crystals