Effective Dynamics of Disclination Pairs

Abstract

The dissipative dynamics of a pair of wedge disclinations with opposite Frank angles confined to a circular domain is investigated under the assumption of radially symmetric motion. Two distinct dynamical regimes are identified: a diverging-disclination regime and an annihilating-dipole regime. The stationary points associated with both regimes are determined and fully characterized in terms of their stability, and quantitative estimates for the characteristic evolution times in their vicinity are derived. In the annihilating-dipole regime, it is shown that, after a suitable time rescaling, the resulting law of motion for the dipole coincides with that of an edge dislocation.