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Pavel V. Dolganov*, Nikita A. Spiridenko, Vladimir K. Dolganov

Author affiliations
Osipyan Institute of Solid State Physics RAS, Chernogolovka, Moscow Region, Russia
*Corresponding author: pauldol@issp.ac.ru

Abstract
Employing confined geometry of optical cells, we studied isotropic droplets surrounded by nematic mesophase and topological defects associated with the droplets. In the nematic-isotropic biphasic region the droplet size could be controllably changed by slight temperature variation. We observed that on heating, when the longitudinal droplet size increases and exceeds the cell thickness, the topological characteristics of the droplets change, which leads to disappearance of topological defects. On cooling, an essentially different behavior of the droplets was observed depending on the cooling rate. The change of the droplets topology accompanied by birth of topological defects was also detected at droplet coalescence. Our findings demonstrate the possibility to modify in a controllable way the topology of complex soft matter systems.

Keywords: topological defects, surface phenomena, biphasic region