Dynamics of Dislocations in Anisotropic Pattern

We report on experimental measurements of dislocation motion in an anisotropic pattern forming system, electroconvection. For electroconvection, nematic liquid crystals are placed between two glass plates. An ac voltage is applied perpendicular to the plates. When the applied voltage greater than a critical value of the voltage is applied suddenly, a striped pattern of convection rolls form. However, a high density of topological defects/dislocations is present immediately after the sudden change in voltage. These dislocations annihilate with each other over the course of time. Topological defects play a major role in the coarsening process, and they are known to exhibit complex dynamics in striped systems. In this report, we focus on the dynamics of dislocations during the coarsening under the influence of different wavevectors in the striped system.