| Abstract: | We study planar energy minimizing configurations of smectic A liquid crystal materials and classify the corresponding defect structures. We investigate focal conic configurations in wedge, non‐parallel plates, funnel‐shaped domains, and non‐concentric annuli. The application of the stability condition for focal conics is relevant to the specification of the location of the interfacial defects. Self‐similar structures are discussed for a class of solutions with the same bulk energy. We propose surface energies terms to serve as selection mechanisms of particular self‐similar configurations. We also show how the modelling of chevron texture naturally arises in the present framework. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. |
