Squirming motion of baby skyrmions in nematic fluids

Paul J. Ackerman; Timothy Boyle; Ivan I. Smalyukh

doi:10.1038/s41467-017-00659-5

Nature Communications (Sep 2017)

Squirming motion of baby skyrmions in nematic fluids

Paul J. Ackerman,
Timothy Boyle,
Ivan I. Smalyukh

Affiliations

Paul J. Ackerman: Department of Physics, University of Colorado
Timothy Boyle: Department of Physics, University of Colorado
Ivan I. Smalyukh: Department of Physics, University of Colorado

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-017-00659-5
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 8, no. 1
pp. 1 – 13

Abstract

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A skyrmion is a topological object originally introduced to model elementary particles and a baby skyrmion is its two-dimensional counterpart which can be realized as a defect in liquid crystals. Here the authors show that an electric field can drive uniform motion of baby skyrmions in liquid crystals.

Published in Nature Communications

ISSN: 2041-1723 (Online)
Publisher: Nature Portfolio
Country of publisher: United Kingdom
LCC subjects: Science
Website: https://www.nature.com/ncomms/

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