Liquid Crystal Analogue of Abrikosov Vortex Flow in Superconductors

Abstract

We extend the correspondence between the Renn-Lubensky Twist-Grain-Boundary-A phase in chiral liquid crystals and the Abrikosov mixed state in superconductors to dynamical aspects. We find that for a TGB sample with free boundaries, an external electric field applied along the helical axis induces a uniform translational motion of the grain boundary system - an analogue of the well-known mixed state flux flow. Likewise, an analogue of the mixed state Nernst effect is found. In much the same way in which the flux flow carries intercore electric fields generating Joule heat in an otherwise dissipation-free system, the grain boundary flow carries along polarized charges, resulting in a finite electric conductivity in a ferroelectric.