Event

We use the term “topological soft matter” for systems with stable defects in the orientational order-parameter field. In nematogenic liquid crystals the effects of confining geometry, chirality, or interplay of both may lead to frustration and consequently to stable or metastable disclinations and solitonic deformations. Recently a lot of attention has been devoted to blue phases and confined & colloidal nematics.  Here I present an overview of our recent achievements based on synergy of numerical modeling and experiments devoted to chosen examples of topological soft matter: i) detection of skyrmion lattices in confined blue phases, ii) colloidal particles dressed with chiral solitonic deformations, and iii) sensing the fiber morphology with nematic drops.

Studies were performed within local and international collaborations including S. Čopar, J. Fukuda, E.M. Godinho I. Muševič, A. Nych, U. Ognista, M. Ravnik, D. Seč, and M. Škarabot.