Diffraction of light by topological defects in liquid crystals

Abstract

We study light scattering by a hedgehog-like and linear disclination topological defects in a nematic liquid crystal by a metric approach. Light propagating near such defects feels an effective metric equivalent to the spatial part of the global monopole and cosmic string geometries. We obtain the scattering amplitude and the differential and total scattering cross section for the case of the hedgehog defect, in terms of the characteristic parameters of the liquid crystal. Studying the disclination case, a cylindrical partial wave method is developed. As an application of the previous developments, we also examine the temperature influence on the localization of the diffraction patterns.

Correcting some typos,15 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in Liquid Crystals

References in corpus (7)

• Geometric Theory of Defects
• Hawking-like radiation does not require a trapped region
• Lensing effects in a nematic liquid crystal with topological defects
• A liquid crystal analogue of the cosmic string
• On the deflection of light by topological defects in nematic liquid crystals
• Aharonov-Bohm-like effect for light propagating in nematics with disclinations
• Exact Wave Propagation in a Spacetime with a Cosmic String

Cited by in corpus (9)

• An optical wormhole from hollow disclinations
• Metric approach for sound propagation in nematic liquid crystals
• Optics near an hyperbolic defect
• Geometric effects on the electronic structure of curved nanotubes and curved graphene: the case of the helix, catenary, helicoid, and catenoid
• Cosmology in the laboratory: an analogy between hyperbolic metamaterials and the Milne universe
• Retrieving the saddle-splay elastic constant $K_{24}$ of nematic liquid crystals from an algebraic approach
• Geometric theory of topological defects: methodological developments and new trends
• The helical phase of chiral nematic liquid crystals as the Bianchi VII(0) group manifold
• Conservation Laws for Crystal of Topological Defects