Contact topology and the structure and dynamics of cholesterics
Using tools and concepts from contact topology we show that non-vanishing twist implies conservation of the layer structure in cholesteric liquid crystals. This leads to a number of additional topological invariants for cholesteric configurations, such as layer numbers, that are not captured by trad...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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IOP Publishing
2017-01-01
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| Series: | New Journal of Physics |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/aa958d |
| _version_ | 1827873503259394048 |
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| author | Thomas Machon |
| author_facet | Thomas Machon |
| author_sort | Thomas Machon |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Using tools and concepts from contact topology we show that non-vanishing twist implies conservation of the layer structure in cholesteric liquid crystals. This leads to a number of additional topological invariants for cholesteric configurations, such as layer numbers, that are not captured by traditional descriptions, characterises the nature and size of the chiral energy barriers between metastable configurations, and gives a geometric characterisation of cholesteric dynamics in any context, including active systems, those in confined geometries or under the influence of an external field. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T16:37:59Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e7722c8eafb240878cd45be260a25ae2 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1367-2630 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T16:37:59Z |
| publishDate | 2017-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | New Journal of Physics |
| spelling | doaj.art-e7722c8eafb240878cd45be260a25ae22023-08-08T14:48:11ZengIOP PublishingNew Journal of Physics1367-26302017-01-01191111303010.1088/1367-2630/aa958dContact topology and the structure and dynamics of cholestericsThomas Machon0Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Pennsylvania , 209 South 33rd Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States of AmericaUsing tools and concepts from contact topology we show that non-vanishing twist implies conservation of the layer structure in cholesteric liquid crystals. This leads to a number of additional topological invariants for cholesteric configurations, such as layer numbers, that are not captured by traditional descriptions, characterises the nature and size of the chiral energy barriers between metastable configurations, and gives a geometric characterisation of cholesteric dynamics in any context, including active systems, those in confined geometries or under the influence of an external field.https://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/aa958dcholestericsliquid crystalscontact topologyapplied topology |
| spellingShingle | Thomas Machon Contact topology and the structure and dynamics of cholesterics New Journal of Physics cholesterics liquid crystals contact topology applied topology |
| title | Contact topology and the structure and dynamics of cholesterics |
| title_full | Contact topology and the structure and dynamics of cholesterics |
| title_fullStr | Contact topology and the structure and dynamics of cholesterics |
| title_full_unstemmed | Contact topology and the structure and dynamics of cholesterics |
| title_short | Contact topology and the structure and dynamics of cholesterics |
| title_sort | contact topology and the structure and dynamics of cholesterics |
| topic | cholesterics liquid crystals contact topology applied topology |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/aa958d |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT thomasmachon contacttopologyandthestructureanddynamicsofcholesterics |