Abstract
Planar arrays of disclinations in crystals are described using conformal mappings of the Schwarz-Christoffel type. The point singularities of the maps are related to the cores of disclinations and the latter to mass sources in (2+1)-dimensional gravitation. Disclination dipoles correspond to dislocations and some of the latter may be associated with spinning particles in gravitation; collective states of defects are related to cosmological models. Finally a new action functional for defect systems is presented, using differential geometric methods.

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