Space-time evolution of Volterra disclinations

The dynamics of a system of particles subject to a 4th order potential field modeling the space-time evolution of wedge disclinations is studied, focusing on finite systems of disclinations within a circular domain. Existence theorems for the trajectories of these disclinations are presented, considering both the dynamics without predefined preferred directions of motion in an isotropic medium and the dynamics in which the disclinations move parallel to predefined directions, modeling a crystalline material. The analysis is illustrated with a number of numerical solutions to demonstrate various relevant configurations.