 Energetic fission of an integer nematic disclination

In a strictly planar nematic liquid crystal, a charge-one nematic disclination is a winding-two map into the circle ${\mathbb{RP}}^1$. Its nonzero fundamental group class prevents complete unwinding while the surrounding loop stays fixed, but permits splitting into two charge-$1/2$ defects. For separation $r_0\ll d\ll L$, the two near fields contribute $\pi K{\lambda }_0^2(1/4+1/4)\log (d/r_0)$ while their common charge-one far field contributes $\pi K{\lambda }_0^2\log (L/d)$. Compared with the unsplit defect, the change isIt is negative at sufficiently large scale separation. Thus integer-defect fission is energetically favorable despite conservation of total topological charge. This leading-log argument proves failure of global energetic stability, not absence of kinetic barriers or pinning. If escape into the third dimension is allowed, an integer winding can also become topologically trivial in ${\mathbb{RP}}^2$.