We study the orientational relaxation of a spiral pattern around a central defect with topological strength $S=+1$ in free-standing smectic films. Instead of a continuous unwinding, a characteristic stick-slip relaxation is observed, where the elastic anisotropy plays the dominant role for the director anchoring in the vicinity of the defect. A model derived from nematic continuum theory is used to interpret the experimental observations.

• Received 20 January 2006

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.74.040701