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Three-dimensional structure and multistable optical switching of triple-twisted particle-like excitations in anisotropic fluids

Nature Materials volume 9, pages 139–145 (2010)Cite this article

Abstract

Control of structures in soft materials with long-range order forms the basis for applications such as displays, liquid-crystal biosensors, tunable lenses, distributed feedback lasers, muscle-like actuators and beam-steering devices. Bistable, tristable and multistable switching of well-defined structures of molecular alignment is of special interest for all of these applications. Here we describe the facile optical creation and multistable switching of localized configurations in the molecular orientation field of a chiral nematic anisotropic fluid. These localized chiro-elastic particle-like excitations—dubbed ‘triple-twist torons’—are generated by vortex laser beams and embed the localized three-dimensional (3D) twist into a uniform background. Confocal polarizing microscopy and computer simulations reveal their equilibrium internal structures, manifesting both skyrmion-like and Hopf fibration features. Robust generation of torons at predetermined locations combined with both optical and electrical reversible switching can lead to new ways of multistable structuring of complex photonic architectures in soft materials.

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Figure 1: T3 field configurations generated by Laguerre–Gaussian beams and embedded into a uniform field by defects.
Figure 2: Predetermined optical generation and switching of the toron structures.
Figure 3: FCPM imaging and computer simulations of laser-generated torons.
Figure 4: Elasticity and topology of the T3-1 structure.
Figure 5: Vector-field representation of the T3-1 configuration in the axial cross-section.

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Acknowledgements

We acknowledge the support of the Institute for Complex Adaptive Matter (ICAM) and the NSF grant nos DMR-0645461, DMR-0820579, DMR-0847782 and DMR-0844115 as well as the University of Colorado Innovation Seed Grant. We also thank F. Livolant, T. Lubensky, L. Radzihovsky and J.-F. Sadoc for discussions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309, USA

    Ivan I. Smalyukh, Noel A. Clark & Rahul P. Trivedi

  2. Liquid Crystal Materials Research Center, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309, USA

    Ivan I. Smalyukh, Yves Lansac, Noel A. Clark & Rahul P. Trivedi

  3. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309, USA

    Ivan I. Smalyukh

  4. Laboratoire d’Electrodynamique des Matériaux Avancés, Université François Rabelais-CNRS-CEA, UMR 6157, 37200 Tours, France

    Yves Lansac

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  1. Ivan I. Smalyukh
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Contributions

I.I.S. and R.P.T. carried out all experimental work. I.I.S. was responsible for project planning and tentative explanation. Y.L. did computer simulations of structure and elasticity and I.I.S. simulated the intensity distribution. I.I.S., Y.L., N.A.C. and R.P.T. were responsible for writing the article. All authors discussed the results and commented on the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Ivan I. Smalyukh.

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Smalyukh, I., Lansac, Y., Clark, N. et al. Three-dimensional structure and multistable optical switching of triple-twisted particle-like excitations in anisotropic fluids. Nature Mater 9, 139–145 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/nmat2592

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