V001 / JSI / T219

Slika

Journal Nature Communications published an article entitled Hidden topological constellations and polyvalent charges in chiral nematic droplets, which was written by Gregor Posnjak, Simon Čopar and Igor Muševič, researchers of the Condensed Matter Physics (F5) department of JSI and Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, University of Ljubljana. The authors used an advanced method of 3D fluorescent confocal microscopy to reconstruct the order of molecules in micrometre-sized droplets of chiral nematic liquid crystals and discover various topological states which include strings of topological defects and point defects with multiples of unit topological charge. The ordering of molecules around these topological defects is similar to polyvalent atoms and enables the formation of complex topological structures, reminiscent of molecules.