Structural transition of nematic liquid crystal in cylindrical capillary as a result of the annihilation of two point defects

We study the annihilation of hedgehog-antihedgehog defects in confined nematic liquid crystals using Brownian molecular dynamics simulations. After the collision, merging of defects, and building a loop disclination structure, system can experience a structural transition into another nematic structure, triggered by a nucleation of loop disclination structure. In our rough theoretical approach we calculate the size of the emerged loop structure as the function of the typical size of the confining cavity. Attention is paid also to the dynamics of the loop structure after collision.