Sai-Bo Wu

Topological defects are of fundamental interest to wide branches of physics. Exploiting the structural evolutions and behaviors of topological defects across the phase transition is vital in understanding complicated condensed matter. Via presetting different initial azimuthal orientations of a square radial-alignment lattice in a hybrid cell, the evolution of liquid-crystal topological defects across the nematic-smectic phase transition is investigated.

Abstract Topological defects usually emerge and vary during the phase transition of ordered systems. Their roles in thermodynamic order evolution keep being the frontier of modern condensed matter physics. Here, we study the generations of topological defects and their guidance on the order evolution during the phase transition of liquid crystals (LCs). With a given preset photopatterned alignment, two different types of topological defects are achieved depending on the thermodynamic process.