Figure 1
POM micrographs of microsphere-soliton hybrids in frustrated cholesteric LCs.
(a), (b), POM micrographs obtained for two different levels of the microscope's focal plane (a), above and (b), below the cell midplane. The structures are (from left to right): (1) A bare colloidal microsphere with two boojums surrounded by minor distortions, (2) a triple twist toron with two bulk point defects, (3) a toron dressed microsphere with one bulk point defect, (4) and a hopfion dressed microsphere. (c), Two hopfion dressed microspheres at different levels of the sample. (d), A hopfion dressed microsphere located in the midplane of the sample. (e), a toron in a 5CB-based CLC that is smaller colloidal sphere with its center located on the central axis of the looped double-twist cylinder. The diameters of colloidal particles are 7 μm in (a–d) and 4.5 μm in (e).
