Topological Structures in Polar Liquid Crystals

Ferroelectric nematic liquid crystal is a novel state of soft matter discovered in very recent years, that exhibits simultaneously high fluidity and ferroelectricity. The polar nature of its order parameter has significant impact on possible topological structures. Here, we investigated how topological defects in the N_F liquid crystals can be affected and controlled by the orientation fields at confining flat surfaces. By imprinting predesigned director patterns at confining surfaces, we observe that various topological structures can be created and manipulated in a programmable way.