Liquid crystals are condensed-matter systems that exhibit phases with orientational order of constituent anisotropic molecules while retaining partial fluidity characteristic of liquids. Depending on molecular organization and symmetry, they form distinct mesophases such as nematic, smectic, and cholesteric, each defined by specific order parameters and broken symmetries. Their physical behavior is governed by elastic continuum theories (e.g., Frank–Oseen) and coupling between director fields, flow, and external fields (electric, magnetic). Liquid crystals display anisotropic optical, dielectric, and rheological properties, enabling controllable phase transitions and defect structures that are central to both fundamental studies of soft matter and engineered photonic or electro-optic systems.
The knots in your shoelaces are familiar, but can you imagine knots made from light, water, or from the structured fluids that make LCD screens shine?
Optics & Photonics
Dec 15, 2025
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Imagine a clock that doesn't have electricity, but its hands and gears spin on their own for all eternity. In a new study, physicists at the University of Colorado Boulder have used liquid crystals, the same materials that ...
Condensed Matter
Sep 5, 2025
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901
For the first time, researchers at Umeå University have demonstrated the full capabilities of their large-scale laser facility. In a study published in Nature Photonics, the team reports generating a combination of ultrashort ...
Optics & Photonics
Aug 15, 2025
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149
Researchers have developed a novel way for liquid crystals to retain information about their movement. Using this method could advance technologies like memory devices and sensors, as well as pave the way to future soft materials ...
Soft Matter
Aug 14, 2025
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33
Nematic materials are made of elongated molecules that align in a preferred direction, but, like in a fluid, are spaced out irregularly. The best-known nematic materials are liquid crystals, which are used in liquid crystal ...
Condensed Matter
Jul 31, 2025
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122
Instead of a tempest in a teapot, imagine the cosmos in a canister. Scientists have performed experiments using nested, spinning cylinders to confirm that an uneven wobble in a ring of electrically conductive fluid like liquid ...
Planetary Sciences
Jul 7, 2025
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75
A team of researchers has developed a novel method for using cholesteric liquid crystals in optical microcavities. The platform created by the researchers enables the formation and dynamic tuning of photonic crystals with ...
Optics & Photonics
Jul 1, 2025
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28
Photonic circuits, which manipulate light to perform various computational tasks, have become essential tools for a range of advanced technologies—from quantum simulations to artificial intelligence. These circuits offer ...
Optics & Photonics
Mar 27, 2025
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131
A research team at POSTECH has developed a method for synthesizing perovskite nanocrystals (PNCs), a next-generation semiconductor material, in a more uniform and efficient manner. This study is expected to serve as a key ...
Nanomaterials
Feb 21, 2025
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63
A research team has discovered that achiral hard banana-shaped particles can spontaneously form exotic structures like skyrmions and blue phase III phases. Skyrmions are tiny vortex-like structures found in various condensed-matter ...
Condensed Matter
Jan 27, 2025
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