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

Meng, Cuiling (avtor), Wu, Jin-Sheng (avtor), Kos, Žiga (avtor), Dunkel, Jörn (avtor), Nisoli, Cristiano (avtor), Smalyukh, Ivan I. (avtor)

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 quasiparticle excitations in the form of charge-conserving topological monopoles, which can act as mobile information carriers and be linked via Dirac strings. CVLs 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.

• Jezik: Angleški jezik
• Ključne besede: soft matter physics, liquid crystals, topological defects, combinatorial vortex lattices
• Vrsta gradiva: Članek v reviji
• Tipologija: 1.01 - Izvirni znanstveni članek
• Organizacija: FMF - Fakulteta za matematiko in fiziko
• Status publikacije: Objavljeno
• Različica publikacije: Objavljena publikacija
• Leto izida: 2025
• Št. strani: Str. 021084-1-021084-18
• Številčenje: Vol. 15, iss. 2
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-169839
• UDK: 538.9
• ISSN pri članku: 2160-3308
• DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevX.15.021084
• COBISS.SI-ID: 239126531
• Datum objave v RUL: 12.06.2025

Gradivo je del revije

• Naslov: Physical review
• Skrajšan naslov: Phys. rev., X
• Založnik: American Physical Society
• ISSN: 2160-3308
• COBISS.SI-ID: 19686152

Licence

• Licenca: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Priznanje avtorstva 4.0 Mednarodna
• Povezava: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.sl
• Opis: To je standardna licenca Creative Commons, ki daje uporabnikom največ možnosti za nadaljnjo uporabo dela, pri čemer morajo navesti avtorja.

Sekundarni jezik

• Jezik: Slovenski jezik
• Ključne besede: fizika mehke snovi, tekoči kristali, topološki defekti