Landau theory for helical nematic phases
arXiv:1406.4588 · doi:10.1134/S0021364014140070
Abstract
We propose Landau phenomenology for describing the phase transition from the conventional nematic into the conical helical orientationally non-uniform structure recently identified in liquid crystals formed by "banana"-shaped molecules. The mean field predictions are mostly in agreement with experimental data. Based on the analogy with de Gennes model, we argue that fluctuations of the order parameter turn the transition to the first order phase transition rather than continuous one predicted by the mean-field theory. This conclusion is in agreement with experimental observations. We discuss the new Goldstone mode to be observed in the low-temperature phase.
4 pages, no figures
References in corpus (2)
Cited by in corpus (14)
- Elastic continuum theory: Fully understanding of the twist-bend nematic phases
- Cholesterics of colloidal helices: Predicting the macroscopic pitch from the particle shape and thermodynamic state
- Nature of nematic to twist bend nematic phase transition
- Twist-bend nematic phases of bent-shaped biaxial molecules
- Uniform distortions and generalized elasticity of liquid crystals
- Fluctuation modes of a twist-bend nematic liquid crystal
- Soft modes of the dielectric response in the twist-bend nematic phase and identification of the transition to nematic splay bend phase in the dimer CBC7CB
- Second harmonic light scattering induced by defects in the twist-bend nematic phase of liquid crystal dimers
- Liquid Crystal Distortions Revealed by an Octupolar Tensor
- Light scattering study of the "pseudo-layer" compression elastic constant in a twist-bend nematic liquid crystal
- Geometry of Bend: Singular Lines and Defects in Twist-Bend Nematics
- Non-uniform localised distortions in generalised elasticity for liquid crystals
- Banana and pizza-slice-shaped mesogens give a new constrained ferromagnet universality class
- Non-Newtonian rheology in twist-bend nematic liquid crystals