AI Article Synopsis
- * For film thicknesses under 150 nm, the structure is primarily influenced by defects, whose core configurations we analyze using x-ray diffraction.
- * Our findings reveal that the defects resemble split half tube-shaped rotating grain boundaries, with both their spatial extension and energy per unit length being much larger than previously suggested in existing research.
Article Abstract
We study the structure of very thin liquid crystal films frustrated by antagonistic anchorings in the smectic phase. In a cylindrical geometry, the structure is dominated by the defects for film thicknesses smaller than 150 nm and the detailed topology of the defects' cores can be revealed by x-ray diffraction. They appear to be split in half tube-shaped rotating grain boundaries (RGB). We determine the RGB spatial extension and evaluate its energy per unit length. Both are significantly larger than the ones usually proposed in the literature.
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| http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.96.027803 | DOI Listing |
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