Dislocations and Fibrations: The Topological Structure of Knotted Smectic Defects

TL;DR

This paper explores the topological properties of knotted defects in smectic liquid crystals, revealing how knot theory and Morse-Novikov theory can describe and classify these complex defect structures.

Contribution

It introduces a novel topological framework linking knotted smectic defects with knot and Morse-Novikov theories, including bounds on point defects and reinterpretation of defect structures.

Findings

Knotted edge dislocations require a minimum number of point defects.

Edge dislocations are sensitive to knot fibredness, affecting defect structure.

The study establishes a topological classification connecting smectic defects with knot theory.

Abstract

In this work, we investigate the topological properties of knotted defects in smectic liquid crystals. Our story begins with screw dislocations, whose radial surface structure can be smoothly accommodated on $S^3$ for fibred knots by using the corresponding knot fibration. To understand how a smectic texture may take on a screw dislocation in the shape of a knot without a fibration, we study first knotted edge defects. Unlike screw defects, knotted edge dislocations force singular points in the system for any non-trivial knot. We provide a lower bound on the number of such point defects required for a given edge dislocation knot and draw an analogy between the point defect structure of knotted edge dislocations and that of focal conic domains. By showing that edge dislocations, too, are sensitive to knot fibredness, we reinterpret the so-called Morse-Novikov points required for non-fibred screw dislocation knots as analogous smectic defects. Our methods are then applied to $+1/2$ and negative-charge disclinations in the smectic phase, furthering the analogy between knotted smectic defects and focal conic domains and uncovering an intricate relationship between point and line defects in smectic liquid crystals. The connection between smectic defects and knot theory not only unravels the uniquely topological knotting of smectic defects but also provides a mathematical and experimental playground for modern questions in knot and Morse-Novikov theory.