Brownian Motion of Topological Point Defects in Smectic C Films

ORAL

Abstract

We observe the diffusive motion of topological point defects in the c-director field of freely-suspended smectic C liquid crystals films using reflected polarized light microscopy. Racemic films two layers thick were created and placed within a vacuum chamber. The diffusion of defects confined to islands of different thickness and diameter was measured as a function of air pressure. As the pressure decreases, the diffusion coefficient increases until it reaches the limit that results from pure 2D confinement.

*This work was supported by NASA Grant NNX-13AQ81G and by NSF MRSEC Grant DMR-0820579.

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Authors

  • Kate Wachs

    • University of Colorado

  • Cheol Park

    • Department of Physics and Liquid Crystal Materials Research Center, University of Colorado, Boulder
    • University of Colorado

  • Zhiyuan Qi

    • University of Colorado

  • Joseph MacLennan

    • Liquid Crystal Materials Research Center, University of Colorado
    • Department of Physics and Liquid Crystal Materials Research Center, University of Colorado, Boulder
    • Department of Physics, and the Liquid Crystal Materials Research Center, University of Colorado at Boulder
    • Univ of Colorado - Boulder
    • University of Colorado
    • University of Colorado, Boulder

  • Noel Clark

    • Liquid Crystal Materials Research Center, University of Colorado
    • Department of Physics and Liquid Crystal Materials Research Center, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
    • Liquid Crystal Materials Research Center, University of Colorado, Boulder (CO) U.S.A.
    • Department of Physics, and the Liquid Crystal Materials Research Center, University of Colorado at Boulder
    • University of Colorado