Modulated phases of nematic liquid crystals induced by tetrahedral order

Abstract

Recent theoretical research has developed a general framework to understand director deformations and modulated phases in nematic liquid crystals. In this framework, there are four fundamental director deformation modes: twist, bend, splay, and a fourth mode $\Delta$ related to saddle-splay. The first three of these modes are known to induce modulated phases. Here, we consider modulated phases induced by the fourth mode. We develop a theory for tetrahedral order in liquid crystals, and show that it couples to the $\Delta$ mode of director deformation. Because of geometric frustration, the $\Delta$ mode cannot fill space by itself, but rather must be accompanied by twist or splay. Hence, it may induce a spontaneous cholesteric phase, with either handedness, or a splay nematic phase.

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Cited by in corpus (4)

• Ferroelectric nematic liquid crystalline phases
• Violation of Ericksen inequalities in lyotropic chromonic liquid crystals
• Homotopy classification of knotted defects in ordered media
• Compatible director fields in ${\mathbb{R}}^3$