Abstract
We describe the geometry of bend distortions in liquid crystals and their fundamental degeneracies, which we call lines; these represent a new class of linelike topological defect in twist-bend nematics. We present constructions for smecticlike textures containing screw and edge dislocations and also for vortexlike structures of double twist and Skyrmions. We analyze their local geometry and global structure, showing that their intersection with any surface is twice the Skyrmion number. Finally, we demonstrate how arbitrary knots and links can be created and describe them in terms of merons, giving a geometric perspective on the fractionalization of Skyrmions.
- Received 3 February 2020
- Revised 25 May 2020
- Accepted 15 June 2020
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.125.047801
Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article’s title, journal citation, and DOI.
Published by the American Physical Society