Bivalent defect configurations in inhomogeneous nematic shells
  We present a theoretical study of the director fields and energetics of nematic liquid crystal shells with two pairs of surface defects. The pairs of defects can undergo abrupt transitions between a configuration of maximum separation to at state in which the defects are confined to the thinnest hemisphere. We construct a phase diagram that maps out the stability and coexistence of these two configurations as a function of shell thickness and thickness inhomogeneity. Our results compare favorably with the experimentally observed transitions in nematic double emulsion droplets and explain their hysteretic character. 
V. Koning, T. Lopez-Leon, A. Fernandez-Nieves and V. Vitelli
cond-mat.soft cond-mat.mtrl-sci