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Squirming motion of baby skyrmions in nematic fluids

Author

Listed:
  • Paul J. Ackerman

    (University of Colorado
    University of Colorado)

  • Timothy Boyle

    (University of Colorado)

  • Ivan I. Smalyukh

    (University of Colorado
    University of Colorado
    University of Colorado
    National Renewable Energy Laboratory and University of Colorado)

Abstract

Skyrmions are topologically protected continuous field configurations that cannot be smoothly transformed to a uniform state. They behave like particles and give origins to the field of skyrmionics that promises racetrack memory and other technological applications. Unraveling the non-equilibrium behavior of such topological solitons is a challenge. We realize skyrmions in a chiral liquid crystal and, using numerical modeling and polarized video microscopy, demonstrate electrically driven squirming motion. We reveal the intricate details of non-equilibrium topology-preserving textural changes driving this behavior. Direction of the skyrmion’s motion is robustly controlled in a plane orthogonal to the applied field and can be reversed by varying frequency. Our findings may spur a paradigm of soliton dynamics in soft matter, with a rich interplay between topology, chirality, and orientational viscoelasticity.

Suggested Citation

  • Paul J. Ackerman & Timothy Boyle & Ivan I. Smalyukh, 2017. "Squirming motion of baby skyrmions in nematic fluids," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 8(1), pages 1-13, December.
  • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:8:y:2017:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-017-00659-5
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-00659-5
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    Cited by:

    1. Jung-Shen B. Tai & Jin-Sheng Wu & Ivan I. Smalyukh, 2022. "Geometric transformation and three-dimensional hopping of Hopf solitons," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-12, December.
    2. Yuan Shen & Ingo Dierking, 2022. "Electrically tunable collective motion of dissipative solitons in chiral nematic films," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-12, December.

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