Dancing vortex in a driven nematic liquid crystal cell: theory and experiment

Abstract

The interaction of light beams with helical objects allows the emergency of the optical vortices. Understanding and manipulating the dynamics of helical defects can generate versatile sources of optical vortex beams. Using a magnetic ring, matter vortices can be trapped on a nematic liquid crystal cell. By applying a low-frequency voltage, we observe oscillatory rotating and beating matter vortices. Experimntally, we determine the region of parameters where the dancing vortices are observed. The amplitude equation allows describing the dancing vortices, which presents similar behaviors to those observed experimentally.