This article is cited in 5 papers

CONDENSED MATTER

Topological defects in smectic islands in freely suspended films

P. V. Dolganov^a, N. S. Shuravin^ba, V. K. Dolganov^a, E. I. Kats<sup>c

a</sup> Institute of Solid State Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Chernogolovka, Moscow region, 142432, Russia
^b Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (State University), Institutskii per. 9, Dolgoprudnyi, Moscow region, 141700, Russia
^c Landau Institute for Theoretical Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Kosygina 1, Moscow, 117940, Russia

Abstract: Textures created by point topological defects in defects in polar smectic films have been studied. Such defects have been created by the dynamic method (substance from a very thin film does not have time to approach its edges and thicker islands with a topological defect are controllably formed). Topological defects have been studied in smectic islands with a thickness of six to eight molecular layers in a film with a thickness of two molecular layers. Competition between two-dimensional orientational elasticity in islands and the orientation of the director at the boundary of smectic islands results in different configurations of the field of the $\mathbf{c}$-director created by a topological defect. A transition between configurations occurs at a change in the dimension of islands and depends on the dipole polarization of a liquid crystal. The comparison of the numerical calculations of the structure of topological defects with experimental data has allowed determining the dependence of the anisotropy of the two-dimensional orientational elasticity on the polarization of smectic films.

Received: 16.02.2015

DOI: 10.7868/S0370274X15070073

 English version: Journal of Experimental and Theoretical Physics Letters, 2015, 101:7, 453–458

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