Emergent dimer-model topological order and quasi-particle excitations in liquid crystals: combinatorial vortex lattices

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates how liquid crystal topological defects can form complex, reconfigurable topological phases called Combinatorial Vortex Lattices, which support stable quasi-particle excitations useful for information processing.

Contribution

It introduces the concept of Combinatorial Vortex Lattices in liquid crystals, bridging topological phases in condensed matter with liquid crystal defects, and demonstrates their experimental realization and manipulation.

Findings

Realization of stable, reconfigurable CVLs in liquid crystals

Observation of topological monopole excitations as mobile information carriers

Demonstration of optical manipulation and topological surgery on CVLs

Abstract

Liquid crystals have proven to provide a versatile experimental and theoretical platform for studying topological objects such as vortices, skyrmions, and hopfions. In parallel, in hard condensed matter physics, the concept of topological phases and topological order has been introduced in the context of spin liquids to investigate emergent phenomena like quantum Hall effects and high-temperature superconductivity. Here, we bridge these two seemingly disparate perspectives on topology in physics. Combining experiments and simulations, we show how topological defects in liquid crystals can be used as versatile building blocks to create complex, highly degenerate topological phases, which we refer to as 'Combinatorial Vortex Lattices' (CVLs). CVLs exhibit extensive residual entropy and support locally stable quasi-particle excitations in the form of charge-conserving topological monopoles, which can act as mobile information carriers and be linked via Dirac strings. CLVs can be rewritten and reconfigured on demand, endowed with various symmetries, and modified through laser-induced topological surgery - an essential capability for information storage and retrieval. We demonstrate experimentally the realization, stability, and precise optical manipulation of CVLs, thus opening new avenues for understanding and technologically exploiting higher-hierarchy topology in liquid crystals and other ordered media.