Home
For authors
Submission status

Current
Archive (English)
Archive
   Volumes 61-80
   Volumes 41-60
   Volumes 21-40
   Volumes 1-20
   Volumes 81-92
      Volume 92
      Volume 91
      Volume 90
      Volume 89
      Volume 88
      Volume 87
      Volume 86
      Volume 85
      Volume 84
      Volume 83
      Volume 82
      Volume 81
Search
VOLUME 90 (2009) | ISSUE 5 | PAGE 424
Dimer structures formed in smectic films by inclusions with parallel and antiparallel topological dipole moments
PACS: 61.30.-v, 81.16.Dn
Abstract
Self-organization of cholesteric and nematic droplets in smectic free-standing films is investigated. Strong tangential anchoring at the droplet boundary leads to nucleation of a topological defect and formation of a topological dipole from the droplet and the defect. The interaction between droplets results in assembly of the droplets in dimers and line chains. Topological dipoles of the droplet-defect pairs can be oriented in dimers with polar (ferroelectric) and nonpolar (antiferroelectric) ordering. In this paper we found novel dimer structures formed by droplets with different handedness of the c-director field near the droplets. Depending on the relative magnitude of the droplet dipoles the resulting structure may be dipolar or quadrupolar. Formation of antiferroelectric dimers is discussed on the basis of electromagnetic analogy.