English (United Kingdom)

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/featured_content/oa?rat=en

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/highlighted_journal/

Global: Zendy Plus annual

Presents the access of premium content as premium feature

Premium Content

Presents the keyphrase highlighting as premium feature

Keyphrase Highlighting

Presents the summarisation as premium feature

Summarisation

Insights

Presents the pdf analysis as premium feature

PDF Analysis

Presents the zaia usage as premium feature

ZAIA

Global: Zendy Tools annual

Global: Zendy Free Plan

Global: Zendy Tools monthly

Global: Zendy Plus monthly

We present a hydrodynamic model for a thin spherical shell of active nematicliquid crystal with an arbitrary configuration of defects. The active flowsgenerated by defects in the director lead to the formation of stable vortices,analogous to those seen in confined systems in flat geometries, which generatean effective dynamics for four +1/2 defects that reproduces the tetrahedral toplanar oscillations observed in experiments. As the activity is increased andthe vortices become stronger, the defects are drawn more tightly into pairs,rotating about antipodal points. We extend this situation to also describe thedynamics of other configurations of defects. For example, two +1 defects arefound to attract or repel according to the local geometric character of thedirector field around them, while additional pairs of opposite charge defectscan give rise to flow states containing more than two vortices. Finally, wedescribe the generic relationship between defects in the orientation andsingular points of the flow, and suggest implications for the three-dimensionalnature of the flow and deformation in the shape of the shell.

Vortex formation and dynamics of defects in shells of active nematics