Lensing effects in a nematic liquid crystal with topological defects

TL;DR

This paper investigates how light interacts with nematic liquid crystals containing topological defects, revealing lensing effects analogous to gravitational lensing by cosmic structures, and proposes laboratory experiments to simulate these cosmic phenomena.

Contribution

It introduces the concept of effective geometry in nematic liquid crystals with disclinations and compares it to cosmic topological defects, enabling laboratory simulation of gravitational lensing.

Findings

Liquid crystals with disclinations cause lensing effects similar to cosmic monopoles and strings.

Experiments can simulate gravitational lensing phenomena in laboratory settings.

The effective geometry approach links optical effects in liquid crystals to cosmic topological defects.

Abstract

Light traveling through a liquid crystal with disclinations perceives a geometrical background which causes lensing effects similar to the ones predicted for cosmic objects like global monopoles and cosmic strings. In this article we explore the effective geometry as perceived by light in such media. The comparison between both systems suggests that experiments can be done in the laboratory to simulate optical properties, like gravitational lensing, of cosmic objects.