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Thermotropic uniaxial nematic liquid crystal with ± 1/2 strength disclinations: defect–antidefect production and correlation

Surajit Dhara1, T Arun Kumar1, Ken Ishikawa2 and Hideo Takezoe2

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We report the observation of mostly wedge disclinations of strength ± 1/2 in a uniaxial nematic liquid crystal. The dense network of the disclination is stabilized in cells of thickness (~6 µm) treated with perfluoropolymer. The distribution of net defect strength was found to be Gaussian. The scaling exponent obtained from the width of the distribution is ν = 0.29 ± 0.08 and is in good agreement with the prediction based on the cosmological Kibble mechanism. The exponent and the constant of the scaling relation are compared with the values reported for lyotropic liquid crystal with half-strength disclination by Mukai and co-workers.


PACS

61.30.Eb Experimental determinations of smectic, nematic, cholesteric, and other structures

61.30.Jf Defects in liquid crystals

Subjects

Soft matter, liquids and polymers

Dates

Issue 50 (16 December 2009)

Received 29 September 2009, in final form 30 October 2009

Published 23 November 2009



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