Elastic colloidal monopoles and reconfigurable self-assembly in liquid crystals

Nature, Published online: 29 May 2019; doi:10.1038/s41586-019-1247-7

Unstructured light controls the elastic monopole moments of nematic liquid-crystal colloidal particles and switches them to quadrupoles, with like-charged monopoles attracting and oppositely charged ones repelling, enabling reconfigurable dynamic self-assembly.

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