Determining the Anchoring Strength of a Capillary Using Topological Defects
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We consider a smectic-A* in a capillary with surface anchoring that favors parallel alignment. If the bulk phase of the smectic is the standard twist-grain-boundary phase of chiral smectics, then there will be a critical radius below which the smectic will not have any topological defects. Above this radius a single screw dislocation in the center of the capillary will be favored. Along with surface anchoring, a magnetic field will also suppress the formation of a screw dislocation. In this note, we calculate the critical field at which a defect is energetically preferred as a function of the surface anchoring strength and the capillary radius. Experiments at a few different radii could thus determine the anchoring strength.
Plain TeX (macros included), 8 pages, 2 included ps figures. Revision includes a new figure and a textual modification
Plain TeX (macros included), 8 pages, 2 included ps figures. Revision includes a new figure and a textual modification