Defect mediated coarsening of colloidal crystals on a cylinder

We perform Brownian dynamics simulations to investigate how geometrically stabilized defects in colloidal crytals on a cylindrical surface facilitate the approach to equilibrium. At intermediate times, a patchwork emerges of grains that generically exhibit vacancy-roughened helical line-slip defects, resulting in an ensemble of crystallites distinct from what is observed in the growth of crystals on planar surfaces. Interfaces between adjacent crystal grains typically exhibit a characteristic notch at the point of intersection with the line slip defect; this acts as a source for excitations of the line slip defect, coupling interfacial relaxation on opposite ends of each crystallite.