Contact Topology and the Classification of Disclination Lines in Cholesteric Liquid Crystals

Abstract

We give a topological classification of defect lines in cholesteric liquid crystals using methods from contact topology. By focusing on the role played by the chirality of the material, we demonstrate a fundamental distinction between `tight' and `overtwisted' disclination lines not detected by standard homotopy theory arguments. The classification of overtwisted lines is the same as nematics, however, we show that tight disclinations possess a topological layer number that is conserved as long as the twist is nonvanishing. Finally, we observe that chirality frustrates the escape of removable defect lines, and explain how this frustration underlies the formation of several structures observed in experiments.