I. Chuang et al., COARSENING DYNAMICS IN UNIAXIAL NEMATIC LIQUID-CRYSTALS, Physical review. E, Statistical physics, plasmas, fluids, and related interdisciplinary topics, 47(5), 1993, pp. 3343-3356
We study the coarsening dynamics of defects in the uniaxial nematic li
quid crystal 4-cyano-4'-n-pentylbiphenyl, subjected to a rapid pressur
e jump from the isotropic to the nematic phase. The defect tangle form
ed at the phase transition is dominated by type-1/2 strings (disclinat
ion lines), but also contains type-1 strings and monopoles. We also gi
ve a general discussion of the existence of scaling solutions to the n
ematodynamic equations for loop collapse and two-dimensional vortex-an
tivortex annihilation. We have measured the density of type-1/2 string
s and loops and the monopole density as a function of time. We have al
so measured the rate at which the intercommutation of two strings take
s place. Surprisingly, although the type-1/2 string density rho scales
as expected as a function of time, rho is similar to t-1, loop densit
ies and monopole densities do not seem to scale over the time interval
studied. A possible explanation is given.