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| Format: | Preprint |
| Published: |
2025
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| Online Access: | https://arxiv.org/abs/2504.17778 |
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| _version_ | 1866918153449111552 |
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| author | Leask, Paul |
| author_facet | Leask, Paul |
| contents | The presence of topological defects in apolar chiral liquid crystals cause orientational distortions, leading to non-uniform strain. This non-uniform strain generates an electric polarization response due to the flexoelectric effect, which induces an internal electric field. Associated to this electric field is an electrostatic self-energy, which has a back-reaction on the director field. Calculation of this internal electric field and its resulting back-reaction on the director field is complicated. We propose a method to do such, adapting a method recently developed to study the magnetostatic self-interaction effect on skyrmions in chiral ferromagnets. Bloch skyrmions in chiral magnets are solenoidal and are unaffected by the magnetostatic self-interaction. However, Bloch skyrmions in liquid crystals yield non-solenoidal flexoelectric polarization and, thus, are affected by the electrostatic self-interaction. Additionally, as the flexoelectric coefficients are increased in strength, a transition from a hopfion to a toron is observed in three-dimensional confined systems. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2504_17778 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Topological transition from a hopfion to a toron via flexoelectric self-polarization in chiral liquid crystals Leask, Paul Soft Condensed Matter The presence of topological defects in apolar chiral liquid crystals cause orientational distortions, leading to non-uniform strain. This non-uniform strain generates an electric polarization response due to the flexoelectric effect, which induces an internal electric field. Associated to this electric field is an electrostatic self-energy, which has a back-reaction on the director field. Calculation of this internal electric field and its resulting back-reaction on the director field is complicated. We propose a method to do such, adapting a method recently developed to study the magnetostatic self-interaction effect on skyrmions in chiral ferromagnets. Bloch skyrmions in chiral magnets are solenoidal and are unaffected by the magnetostatic self-interaction. However, Bloch skyrmions in liquid crystals yield non-solenoidal flexoelectric polarization and, thus, are affected by the electrostatic self-interaction. Additionally, as the flexoelectric coefficients are increased in strength, a transition from a hopfion to a toron is observed in three-dimensional confined systems. |
| title | Topological transition from a hopfion to a toron via flexoelectric self-polarization in chiral liquid crystals |
| topic | Soft Condensed Matter |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2504.17778 |