Work

Commensurate states and pattern switching via liquid crystal skyrmions trapped in a square lattice

Year: 2020

Type: article

Abstract: Using continuum based simulations we show that a rich variety of skyrmion liquid crystal states can be realized in the presence of a periodic obstacle array. As a function of the number of skyrmions per obstacle we find hexagonal, square, dimer, trimer and quadrimer ordering, where the n-mer structures are a realization of a molecular crystal state of skyrmions. As a function of external field and obstacle radius we show that there are transitions between the different crystalline states as well as mixed and disordered structures. We discuss how these states are related to commensurate effects seen in other systems, such as vortices in type-II superconductors and colloids interacting with two dimensional substrates.

Source: Soft Matter

DOI: 10.1039/c9sm02312g

Authors: A. Duzgun, C. Nisoli, C. J. O. Reichhardt, C. Reichhardt

Institution: Los Alamos National Laboratory

Language: English

Topic: Liquid Crystal Research Advancements

Subfield: Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials

Field: Materials Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funders: U.S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration, Laboratory Directed Research and Development, Los Alamos National Laboratory