Defect textures in concentrated fiber-filled polygonal networks in nematic liquid crystals are analyzed using differential geometry and computational modeling based on Landau–de Gennes theory. Micron fibers exhibit singular cores of strength $-1/2$ for odd polygons and escaped cores of strength $-(N-2)/2$ for even polygons ($N$: number of sides), in agreement with experiments while simulations predict singular cores of strength $-1/2$ in submicron fibers. The computed textures satisfy physical and topological stability rules, and the total charge inside each polygon obeys the Poincaré-Brouwer theorem.

• Received 9 February 2005

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.95.127802