Structure of elongated and spherulitic domains in long pitch cholesterics with homeotropic boundary alignment

Abstract

Elongated and spherulitic domains, as occurring in cholesteric layers with a pitch equal to about a layer spacing, have been investigated by optical methods. Several new properties have been discovered, and three varieties of domains could be distinguished. All properties of the domains, known up to now, and the homeotropic boundary alignment have been taken into account to construct their director field. The vertical defect line in the centre of the spherulitic bubble domains has been discovered to be a metastable singularity