We experimentally report on nonvolatile and rewritable binary optical memory where the photon spin state controls the polarity of optically recorded localized orientational distortions in liquid crystals, which behave as elastic quasiparticles having long-term storage capabilities. The memory effect is made possible by the chiral nature of the liquid crystal mesophase, while the supramolecular polarity of the recorded ‘spinbits’ results from the chiral light-matter interaction involving spin-angular momentum transfer from light to matter.
Colloidal liquid crystals offer a route to change physical properties and create micro and nano structures. Optical methods only characterise relatively simple colloidal systems. More complex systems require powerful data analytic methods. We present a new approach using Topological Data Analysis to reveal the structural and morphological features in a nematic liquid crystal doped with gold nanoparticles confined in a thin capillary, including the changes occurring during phase transitions. Our topological framework allows us to identify distinct temperature-induced macroscopic states, obtain a geometric representation of the time-dependent topological states and identify several configurations with different degrees of symmetry and order.
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