Flexoelectric polarization in chiral liquid crystals: electrostatic self-interactions of topological defects

Abstract: The presence of topological defects in apolar chiral liquid crystals cause orientational distortions, leading to non-uniform strain. This non-uniform strain generates an electric polarization response due to the flexoelectric effect, which induces an internal electric field. Associated to this electric field is an electrostatic self-energy, which has a back-reaction on the director field. Calculation of this internal electric field and its resulting back-reaction on the director field is complicated. We propose a method to do such, adapting a method recently developed to study the magnetostatic self-interaction effect on skyrmions in chiral ferromagnets. Bloch skyrmions in chiral magnets are solenoidal and are unaffected by the magnetostatic self-interaction. However, Bloch skyrmions in liquid crystals yield non-solenoidal flexoelectric polarization and, thus, are affected by the electrostatic self-interaction. Additionally, as the flexoelectric coefficients are increased in strength, a transition from a hopfion to a skyrmion is observed in three-dimensional confined systems.