Antipersistent behavior of defects in a lyotropic liquid crystal during annihilation

Phys Rev E Stat Nonlin Soft Matter Phys. 2013 May;87(5):054501. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevE.87.054501. Epub 2013 May 29.

Abstract

We report on the dynamical behavior of defects of strength s=±1/2 in a lyotropic liquid crystal during the annihilation process. By following their positions using time-resolved polarizing microscopy technique, we present statistically significant evidence that the relative velocity between defect pairs is Gaussian distributed, antipersistent, and long-range correlated. We further show that simulations of the Lebwohl-Lasher model reproduce quite well our experimental findings.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Computer Simulation
  • Liquid Crystals / chemistry*
  • Models, Chemical*
  • Models, Molecular*
  • Models, Statistical*
  • Phase Transition
  • Solutions / chemistry*
  • Solvents / chemistry*

Substances

  • Solutions
  • Solvents