Extended Data Fig. 2: Elastic dipole orientation underneath water films.

a, Color wheel indicating the six distinct orientations of elastic dipoles. Each color corresponds to a specific location of point defects in relation to the micropillar area. b, c, Percentage distribution of elastic dipole orientation beneath a water film (b) after the nematic−isotropic−nematic transition of LCs following the introduction of the water film and (c) after sliding the water film towards 6 o’clock, with the LC in its nematic phase. The histogram colors correspond to the elastic dipole orientations as defined in (a). Insets in (b) and (c) depict the distribution of micropillars in terms of defect association: no associated defects (vacancies), one associated defect, and two associated defects (double occupancy). The displayed percentages are based on analyses of 1,012 micropillars in (b) and 586 micropillars in (c) across 6 independent experiments. Error bars represent standard deviations from 6 independent measurements.