Publish Date: 07.07.2011
Category: News from the University
Publication of the article in Science
On Friday, 1 July 2011, Science magazine published the article entitled Reconfigurable Knots and Links in Chiral Nematic Colloids by Slovenian authors Uroš Tkalec, Miha Ravnik, Simon Čopar, Slobodan Žumer and Igor Muševič from the Jožef Stefan Institute and the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics of the University of Ljubljana (https://www.fmf.uni-lj.si/si ).
In the article, the authors report on the knots and loops that they observed in a mixture of liquid crystals and silica microspheres. The published article on knots and loops in liquid-crystal colloids is not just a rare practical implementation of mathematical theory in physics, it also has the potential for practical applications. The authors hope to use the knots and loops in liquid crystals to actually link and create a photonic material that would allow the control of the flow of light information in optical microcircuits made from liquid crystals. The same issue also published a special commentary on the article by Professor Randall Kamien, a leading theorist in the field of soft matter topology from the University of Pennsylvania in the United States. This attests to the wide response to the Slovenian scientists’ research, even at the time of publication.
On Friday, 1 July 2011, Science magazine published the article entitled Reconfigurable Knots and Links in Chiral Nematic Colloids by Slovenian authors Uroš Tkalec, Miha Ravnik, Simon Čopar, Slobodan Žumer and Igor Muševič from the Jožef Stefan Institute and the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics of the University of Ljubljana (https://www.fmf.uni-lj.si/si ).
In the article, the authors report on the knots and loops that they observed in a mixture of liquid crystals and silica microspheres. The published article on knots and loops in liquid-crystal colloids is not just a rare practical implementation of mathematical theory in physics, it also has the potential for practical applications. The authors hope to use the knots and loops in liquid crystals to actually link and create a photonic material that would allow the control of the flow of light information in optical microcircuits made from liquid crystals. The same issue also published a special commentary on the article by Professor Randall Kamien, a leading theorist in the field of soft matter topology from the University of Pennsylvania in the United States. This attests to the wide response to the Slovenian scientists’ research, even at the time of publication.
Link to today’s Science: http://www.sciencemag.org/content/current
Link to the article: http://www.sciencemag.org/content/333/6038/62.abstract
Link to the commentary in Perspectives: http://www.sciencemag.org/content/333/6038/46.summary