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A Hierarchy of Defects in Biaxial Nematics

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Abstract:

We study the topological properties of the manifolds which describe uniaxial and biaxial nematics in order to compare and classify all types of bulk and surface defects that can arise in a nematic liquid crystal.

We explain how topological charges can be assigned both to isotropic defects in uniaxial nematics and to uniaxial defects in biaxial nematics; we further see how it is possible to distinguish between isolated surface defects and surface defects which extend in the bulk, and between surface defects which can relax in the bulk and defects forced to stay on the surface.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dipartimento di Matematica, Università di Pisa, Via Buonarroti, 2—56127 Pisa, Italy.¶E-mail: biscari@vaxsns.sns.it, E-mail: guidone@gauss.dm.unipi.it, , , , , , IT

    Paolo Biscari & Giovanna Guidone Peroli

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  1. Paolo Biscari
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  2. Giovanna Guidone Peroli
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Received: 28 November 1994 / Accepted: 30 September 1996

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Biscari, P., Peroli, G. A Hierarchy of Defects in Biaxial Nematics . Comm Math Phys 186, 381–392 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1007/s002200050113

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s002200050113

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