Point defects in nematics, also called hedgehogs, are topological entities that have no
equivalent in ordered atomic solids, despite the homonymy. They have been the subject of …

The rapid detection of biological and chemical substances in real time is particularly
important for public health and environmental monitoring and in the military sector. If the …

Based on graduate lectures given by the authors, Smectic and Columnar Liquid Crystals:
Concepts and Physical Properties Illustrated by Experiments examines lamellar (smectic) …

The Helfrich-Hurault (HH) elastic instability is a well-known mechanism behind patterns that
form as a result of strain upon liquid crystal systems with periodic ground states. In the HH …

As their name indicates, liquid crystals simultaneously exhibit some characteristics common
to both ordinary isotropic liquids and solid crystals. This ambivalence is also found in the …

The production of strings (disclination lines and loops) has been observed by means of the
Kibble mechanism of domain (bubble) formation in the isotropic-nematic phase transition of …

Current understanding of different phases as well as the phase transitions between them
has only been achieved following recent theoretical advances on the effects of …

We explore the structure of nuclei and topological defects in the first-order phase transition
between the nematic (N) and isotropic (I) phases in lyotropic chromonic liquid crystals …

The simulation of systems of simple particles interacting through a suitable model potential
allows the identification of the essential physical features (anisotropy and biaxiality …

The out‐of‐plane anchoring strength at the interface between 4‐n‐pentyl‐4′‐
cyanobiphenyl (5CB) and an obliquely evaporated SiO was measured as a function of …