A fast anharmonic mode in electrooptical switching of liquid crystal structures based on chiral nematics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Palto, S. P., E-mail: palto@online.ru; Barnik, M I; Blinov, L M; Umanskii, B. A., E-mail: umanskii@yahoo.com; Shtykov, N M [Russian Academy of Sciences, Shubnikov Institute of Crystallography (Russian Federation)

2010-09-15

Polarization, spectral, and relaxation features of a new electrooptical effect in oriented layers of chiral nematic liquid crystals (LCs) are considered. The physics behind this electrooptical effect is the induction of higher order spatial harmonics in the helical distribution of the director field, which ensures the high speed of electrooptical response. It is shown that the spectral properties of the electrooptical response can be effectively controlled by varying the optical anisotropy of the LC and the pitch of the helical structure.

Spin nematic and orthogonal nematic states in S=1 non-Heisenberg magnet

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fridman, Yu.A.; Kosmachev, O.A.; Klevets, Ph.N.

2013-01-01

Phases of S=1 non-Heisenberg magnet at various relationships between the exchange integrals are studied in the mean-field limit at zero temperature. It is shown that four phases can be realized in the system under consideration: the ferromagnetic, antiferromagnetic, nematic, and the orthogonal nematic states. The phase diagram is constructed. It is shown that the phase transitions between the ferromagnetic phase and the orthogonal nematic phase and between the antiferromagnetic phase and the orthogonal nematic phase are the degenerated first-order transitions. For the first time the spectra of elementary excitations in all phases are obtained within the mean-field limit. - Highlights: ► We investigated phases of S=1 non-Heisenberg magnet. ► Found four phases: ferromagnetic, antiferromagnetic, nematic, and orthogonal nematic. ► The phase diagram is determined. ► The spectra of elementary excitations are obtained in all phases for the first time.

Biaxial nematic liquid crystals theory, simulation and experiment

CERN Document Server

Luckhurst, Geoffrey R

2015-01-01

Liquid Crystals are a state of matter that have properties between those of conventional liquid and those of a solid crystal. Thermotropic liquid crystals react to changes in temperature or, in some cases, pressure. The reaction of lyotropic liquid crystals, which are used in the manufacture of soaps and detergents, depends on the type of solvent they are mixed with. Since the accidental discovery of the chiral nematic (ordered) phase in 1888 many liquid crystal phases have been found, sometimes by chance and sometimes by design. The existence of one such phase was predicted by Freiser in 197

Non-uniform chiral phase in effective chiral quark models

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sadzikowski, M.; Broniowski, W.

2000-01-01

We analyze the phase diagram in effective chiral quark models (the Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model, the σ-model with quarks) and show that at the mean-field level a phase with a periodically-modulated chiral fields separates the usual phases with broken and restored chiral symmetry. A possible signal of such a phase is the production of multipion jets travelling in opposite directions, with individual pions having momenta of the order of several hundred MeV. This signal can be interpreted in terms of disoriented chiral condensates. (author)

Mueller matrix spectroscopic ellipsometry study of chiral nanocrystalline cellulose films

Science.gov (United States)

Mendoza-Galván, Arturo; Muñoz-Pineda, Eloy; Ribeiro, Sidney J. L.; Santos, Moliria V.; Järrendahl, Kenneth; Arwin, Hans

2018-02-01

Chiral nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC) free-standing films were prepared through slow evaporation of aqueous suspensions of cellulose nanocrystals in a nematic chiral liquid crystal phase. Mueller matrix (MM) spectroscopic ellipsometry is used to study the polarization and depolarization properties of the chiral films. In the reflection mode, the MM is similar to the matrices reported for the cuticle of some beetles reflecting near circular left-handed polarized light in the visible range. The polarization properties of light transmitted at normal incidence for different polarization states of incident light are discussed. By using a differential decomposition of the MM, the structural circular birefringence and dichroism of a NCC chiral film are evaluated.

Possible quadrupolar nematic phase in the frustrated spin chain LiCuSbO4: An NMR investigation

Science.gov (United States)

Bosiočić, M.; Bert, F.; Dutton, S. E.; Cava, R. J.; Baker, P. J.; Požek, M.; Mendels, P.

2017-12-01

The frustrated one-dimensional quantum magnet LiCuSbO4 is a rare realization of the J1-J2 spin chain model with an easily accessible saturation field, formerly estimated at 12 T. Exotic multipolar nematic phases were theoretically predicted in such compounds just below the saturation field, but without unambiguous experimental observation so far. In this paper we present extensive experimental research on the compound in a wide temperature (30 mK to 300 K) and field (0-13.3 T) range by muon spin rotation (μ SR ), 7Li nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and magnetic susceptibility (SQUID). μ SR experiments in zero magnetic field demonstrate the absence of long-range 3D ordering down to 30 mK. Together with former heat capacity data [Dutton et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 108, 187206 (2012), 10.1103/PhysRevLett.108.187206], magnetic susceptibility measurements suggest a short-range-correlated vector chiral phase in the field range 0-4 T. At the intermediate-field values (5-12 T), the system enters a 3D-ordered spin density wave phase with 0.75 μB per copper site at lowest temperatures (125 mK), estimated by NMR. At still higher field, the magnetization is found to be saturated above 13 T where the spin lattice T1-1 relaxation reveals a spin gap estimated at 3.2(2) K. We narrow down the possibility of observing a multipolar nematic phase to the range 12.5-13 T.

Chromonic liquid crystalline nematic phase exhibited in binary mixture of two liquid crystals

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Govindaiah, T. N., E-mail: tngovi.phy@gmail.com; Sreepad, H. R. [Post-Graduate Department of Physics, Government College (Autonomous), Mandya-571401 (India); Sridhar, K. N.; Sridhara, G. R.; Nagaraja, N. [Government College for Boys, Kolar-563101 (India)

2015-06-24

A binary mixture of abietic acid and orthophosphoric acid (H{sub 3}PO{sub 4}) exhibits co-existence of biphasic region of Nematic+Isotropic (N+I), lyotropic Nematic (ND) and Smectic-G (SmG) phases. The mixture exhibits N+I, N and SmG phases at different concentrations and at different temperatures. Mixtures with all concentrations of abietic acid exhibit I→N+I→N→SmG phases sequentially when the specimen is cooled from its isotropic melt. These phases have been characterized by using differential scanning calorimetric, X-ray diffraction, and optical texture studies.

Generalized Liquid Crystals: Giant Fluctuations and the Vestigial Chiral Order of I , O , and T Matter

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Ke; Nissinen, Jaakko; Slager, Robert-Jan; Wu, Kai; Zaanen, Jan

2016-10-01

The physics of nematic liquid crystals has been the subject of intensive research since the late 19th century. However, the focus of this pursuit has been centered around uniaxial and biaxial nematics associated with constituents bearing a D∞ h or D2 h symmetry, respectively. In view of general symmetries, however, these are singularly special since nematic order can in principle involve any point-group symmetry. Given the progress in tailoring nanoparticles with particular shapes and interactions, this vast family of "generalized nematics" might become accessible in the laboratory. Little is known because the order parameter theories associated with the highly symmetric point groups are remarkably complicated, involving tensor order parameters of high rank. Here, we show that the generic features of the statistical physics of such systems can be studied in a highly flexible and efficient fashion using a mathematical tool borrowed from high-energy physics: discrete non-Abelian gauge theory. Explicitly, we construct a family of lattice gauge models encapsulating nematic ordering of general three-dimensional point-group symmetries. We find that the most symmetrical generalized nematics are subjected to thermal fluctuations of unprecedented severity. As a result, novel forms of fluctuation phenomena become possible. In particular, we demonstrate that a vestigial phase carrying no more than chiral order becomes ubiquitous departing from high point-group symmetry chiral building blocks, such as I , O , and T symmetric matter.

Insights on some chiral smectic phases

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

journal of. August 2003 physics pp. 285–295. Insights on some chiral ... Liquid crystals; smectics; chirality; frustrated phases; twist grain boundary phases. ... molecules are more or less packed in layers and smectic phases can be seen ..... (imaging plate or CCD camera) which was located at about 300 mm from the sample.

Phase separation and disorder in doped nematic elastomers

KAUST Repository

Kö pf, M. H.; Pismen, L. M.

2013-01-01

We formulate and analyse a model describing the combined effect of mechanical deformation, dynamics of the nematic order parameter, and concentration inhomogeneities in an elastomeric mixture of a mesogenic and an isotropic component. The uniform nematic state may exhibit a long-wave instability corresponding to nematic-isotropic demixing. Numerical simulations starting from either a perfectly ordered nematic state or a quenched isotropic state show that coupling between the mesogen concentration and the nematic order parameter influences the shape and orientation of the domains formed during the demixing process. © EDP Sciences/ Società Italiana di Fisica/ Springer-Verlag 2013.

Phase separation and disorder in doped nematic elastomers

KAUST Repository

Köpf, M. H.

2013-10-01

We formulate and analyse a model describing the combined effect of mechanical deformation, dynamics of the nematic order parameter, and concentration inhomogeneities in an elastomeric mixture of a mesogenic and an isotropic component. The uniform nematic state may exhibit a long-wave instability corresponding to nematic-isotropic demixing. Numerical simulations starting from either a perfectly ordered nematic state or a quenched isotropic state show that coupling between the mesogen concentration and the nematic order parameter influences the shape and orientation of the domains formed during the demixing process. © EDP Sciences/ Società Italiana di Fisica/ Springer-Verlag 2013.

Effect of Molecular Flexibility on the Nematic-to-Isotropic Phase Transition for Highly Biaxial Molecular Non-Symmetric Liquid Crystal Dimers

Science.gov (United States)

Sebastián, Nerea; López, David Orencio; Diez-Berart, Sergio; de la Fuente, María Rosario; Salud, Josep; Pérez-Jubindo, Miguel Angel; Ros, María Blanca

2011-01-01

In this work, a study of the nematic (N)–isotropic (I) phase transition has been made in a series of odd non-symmetric liquid crystal dimers, the α-(4-cyanobiphenyl-4’-yloxy)-ω-(1-pyrenimine-benzylidene-4’-oxy) alkanes, by means of accurate calorimetric and dielectric measurements. These materials are potential candidates to present the elusive biaxial nematic (NB) phase, as they exhibit both molecular biaxiality and flexibility. According to the theory, the uniaxial nematic (NU)–isotropic (I) phase transition is first-order in nature, whereas the NB–I phase transition is second-order. Thus, a fine analysis of the critical behavior of the N–I phase transition would allow us to determine the presence or not of the biaxial nematic phase and understand how the molecular biaxiality and flexibility of these compounds influences the critical behavior of the N–I phase transition. PMID:28824100

Possibility of the field-induced spin-nematic phase in LiCuVO4

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hagiwara, M; Fujita, T; Yamaguchi, H; Kimura, S; Omura, K; Svistov, L E; Smirnov, A I; Prokofiev, A; Honda, Z

2011-01-01

We report on the magnetization of the frustrated S = 1/2 chain compound LiCuVO 4 . In addition to the transition from a planar spiral to a spin modulated structure observed recently by NMR, another transition was observed just below the saturation field. This magnetic phase could be a spin nematic, namely a condensation of two magnon bound states, phase which was predicted theoretically in the S = 1/2 linear chain model with the nearest neighbor ferromagnetic and the next nearest neighbor antiferromagnetic exchange interactions. The slope of magnetization in this phase is in good agreement with a calculated one in a realistic quasi 2-dimensional model (M. E. Zhitomirsky and H. Tsunetsugu, Europhys. Lett. 92 37001 (2010)). We compare the observed phase diagram with a numerically calculated one and discuss the possibility of the spin nematic phase.

Chiral ward-Takahashi identities at finite temperature and chiral phase transition in (2+1) dimensional chiral Gross-Neveu model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shen Kun; Qiu Zhongping

1993-01-01

Chiral Ward-Takahashi identities at finite temperature are derived in (2+1) dimensional chiral Gross-Neveu model. In terms of these identities, fermion mass generation and the mass spectra of bound states are investigate at finite temperature. Taking the fermion mass as an order parameter, the authors discuss the phase structure and chiral phase transition and obtain the critical temperature

Generalized Liquid Crystals: Giant Fluctuations and the Vestigial Chiral Order of I, O, and T Matter

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ke Liu (刘科 子竞

2016-10-01

Full Text Available The physics of nematic liquid crystals has been the subject of intensive research since the late 19th century. However, the focus of this pursuit has been centered around uniaxial and biaxial nematics associated with constituents bearing a D_{∞h} or D_{2h} symmetry, respectively. In view of general symmetries, however, these are singularly special since nematic order can in principle involve any point-group symmetry. Given the progress in tailoring nanoparticles with particular shapes and interactions, this vast family of “generalized nematics” might become accessible in the laboratory. Little is known because the order parameter theories associated with the highly symmetric point groups are remarkably complicated, involving tensor order parameters of high rank. Here, we show that the generic features of the statistical physics of such systems can be studied in a highly flexible and efficient fashion using a mathematical tool borrowed from high-energy physics: discrete non-Abelian gauge theory. Explicitly, we construct a family of lattice gauge models encapsulating nematic ordering of general three-dimensional point-group symmetries. We find that the most symmetrical generalized nematics are subjected to thermal fluctuations of unprecedented severity. As a result, novel forms of fluctuation phenomena become possible. In particular, we demonstrate that a vestigial phase carrying no more than chiral order becomes ubiquitous departing from high point-group symmetry chiral building blocks, such as I, O, and T symmetric matter.

Chiral Floquet Phases of Many-Body Localized Bosons

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hoi Chun Po

2016-12-01

Full Text Available We construct and classify chiral topological phases in driven (Floquet systems of strongly interacting bosons, with finite-dimensional site Hilbert spaces, in two spatial dimensions. The construction proceeds by introducing exactly soluble models with chiral edges, which in the presence of many-body localization (MBL in the bulk are argued to lead to stable chiral phases. These chiral phases do not require any symmetry and in fact owe their existence to the absence of energy conservation in driven systems. Surprisingly, we show that they are classified by a quantized many-body index, which is well defined for any MBL Floquet system. The value of this index, which is always the logarithm of a positive rational number, can be interpreted as the entropy per Floquet cycle pumped along the edge, formalizing the notion of quantum-information flow. We explicitly compute this index for specific models and show that the nontrivial topology leads to edge thermalization, which provides an interesting link between bulk topology and chaos at the edge. We also discuss chiral Floquet phases in interacting fermionic systems and their relation to chiral bosonic phases.

Bose-Einstein condensation and chiral phase transition in linear sigma model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shu Song; Li Jiarong

2005-01-01

With the linear sigma model, we have studied Bose-Einstein condensation and the chiral phase transition in the chiral limit for an interacting pion system. A μ-T phase diagram including these two phenomena is presented. It is found that the phase plane has been divided into three areas: the Bose-Einstein condensation area, the chiral symmetry broken phase area and the chiral symmetry restored phase area. Bose-Einstein condensation can occur either from the chiral symmetry broken phase or from the restored phase. We show that the onset of the chiral phase transition is restricted in the area where there is no Bose-Einstein condensation

Dynamical Properties of a Living Nematic

Science.gov (United States)

Genkin, Mikhail

The systems, which are made of a large number or interacting particles, or agents that convert the energy stored in the environment into mechanical motion, are called active systems, or active matter. The examples of active matter include both living and synthetic systems. The size of agents varies significantly: bird flocks and fish schools represent macroscopic active systems, while suspensions of living organisms or artificial colloidal particles are examples of microscopic ones. In this work, I studied one of the simplest realization of active matter termed living (or active) nematics, that can be conceived by mixing swimming bacteria and nematic liquid crystal. Using modeling, numerical simulations and experiments I studied various dynamical properties of active nematics. This work hints into new methods of control and manipulation of active matter. Active nematic exhibits complex spatiotemporal behavior manifested by formation, proliferation, and annihilation of topological defects. A new computational 2D model coupling nematic liquid crystal and swimming bacteria dynamics have been proposed. We investigated the developed system of partial differential equations analytically and integrated it numerically using the highly efficient parallel GPU code. The integration results are in a very good agreement with other theoretical and experimental studies. In addition, our model revealed a number of testable phenomena. The major model prediction (bacteria accumulation in positive and depletion in negative topological defects) was tested by a dedicated experiment. We extended our model to study active nematics in a biphasic state, where nematic and isotropic phases coexist. Typically this coexistence is manifested by formation of tactoids - isotropic elongated regions surrounded by nematic phase, or nematic regions surrounded by isotropic phase. Using numerical integration, we revealed fundamental properties of such systems. Our main model outcome - spontaneous

Isotropic–Nematic Phase Transitions in Gravitational Systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Roupas, Zacharias; Kocsis, Bence [Institute of Physics, Eötvös University, Pázmány P. s. 1/A, Budapest, 1117 (Hungary); Tremaine, Scott [Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, NJ 08540 (United States)

2017-06-20

We examine dense self-gravitating stellar systems dominated by a central potential, such as nuclear star clusters hosting a central supermassive black hole. Different dynamical properties of these systems evolve on vastly different timescales. In particular, the orbital-plane orientations are typically driven into internal thermodynamic equilibrium by vector resonant relaxation before the orbital eccentricities or semimajor axes relax. We show that the statistical mechanics of such systems exhibit a striking resemblance to liquid crystals, with analogous ordered-nematic and disordered-isotropic phases. The ordered phase consists of bodies orbiting in a disk in both directions, with the disk thickness depending on temperature, while the disordered phase corresponds to a nearly isotropic distribution of the orbit normals. We show that below a critical value of the total angular momentum, the system undergoes a first-order phase transition between the ordered and disordered phases. At a critical point, the phase transition becomes second order, while for higher angular momenta there is a smooth crossover. We also find metastable equilibria containing two identical disks with mutual inclinations between 90° and 180°.

Chiral anomaly, Berry phase, and chiral kinetic theory from worldlines in quantum field theory

Science.gov (United States)

Mueller, Niklas; Venugopalan, Raju

2018-03-01

In previous work, we outlined a worldline framework that can be used for systematic computations of the chiral magnetic effect (CME) in ultrarelativistic heavy-ion collisions. Towards this end, we first expressed the real part of the fermion determinant in the QCD effective action as a supersymmetric worldline action of spinning, colored, Grassmanian point particles in background gauge fields, with equations of motion that are covariant generalizations of the Bargmann-Michel-Telegdi and Wong equations. The chiral anomaly, in contrast, arises from the phase of the fermion determinant. Remarkably, the latter too can be expressed as a point particle worldline path integral, which can be employed to derive the anomalous axial vector current. We will show here how Berry's phase can be obtained in a consistent nonrelativistic adiabatic limit of the real part of the fermion determinant. Our work provides a general first principles demonstration that the topology of Berry's phase is distinct from that of the chiral anomaly confirming prior arguments by Fujikawa in specific contexts. This suggests that chiral kinetic treatments of the CME in heavy-ion collisions that include Berry's phase alone are incomplete. We outline the elements of a worldline covariant relativistic chiral kinetic theory that captures the physics of how the chiral current is modified by many-body scattering and topological fluctuations.

Isotropic-nematic transition in shear flow: State selection, coexistence, phase transitions, and critical behavior

Science.gov (United States)

Olmsted, Peter D.; Goldbart, Paul M.

1992-10-01

Macroscopic fluid motion can have dramatic consequences near the isotropic-nematic transition in fluids of nematogens. We explore some of these consequences using both deterministic and stochastic descriptions involving coupled hydrodynamic equations of motion for the nematic order parameter and fluid velocity fields. By analyzing the deterministic equations of motion we identify the locally stable states of homogeneous nematic order and strain rate, thus determining the homogeneous nonequilibrium steady states which the fluid may adopt. By examining inhomogeneous steady states we construct the analog of a first-order phase boundary, i.e., a line in the nonequilibrium phase diagram spanned by temperature and applied stress, at which nonequilibrium states may coexist, and which terminates in a nonequilibrium analog of a critical point. From an analysis of the nematic order-parameter discontinuity across the coexistence line, along with properties of the interface between homogeneous states, we extract the analog of classical equilibrium critical behavior near the nonequilibrium critical point. We develop a theory of fluctuations about biaxial nonequilibrium steady states by augmenting the deterministic description with noise terms, to simulate the effect of thermal fluctuations. We use this description to discuss the scattering of polarized light by order-parameter fluctuations near the nonequilibrium critical point and also in weak shear flow near the equilibrium phase transition. We find that fluids of nematogens near an appropriate temperature and strain rate exhibit the analog of critical opalescence, the intensity of which is sensitive to the polarizations of the incident and scattered light, and to the precise form of the critical mode.

Kinetic attractor phase diagrams of active nematic suspensions: the dilute regime.

Science.gov (United States)

Forest, M Gregory; Wang, Qi; Zhou, Ruhai

2015-08-28

Large-scale simulations by the authors of the kinetic-hydrodynamic equations for active polar nematics revealed a variety of spatio-temporal attractors, including steady and unsteady, banded (1d) and cellular (2d) spatial patterns. These particle scale activation-induced attractors arise at dilute nanorod volume fractions where the passive equilibrium phase is isotropic, whereas all previous model simulations have focused on the semi-dilute, nematic equilibrium regime and mostly on low-moment orientation tensor and polarity vector models. Here we extend our previous results to complete attractor phase diagrams for active nematics, with and without an explicit polar potential, to map out novel spatial and dynamic transitions, and to identify some new attractors, over the parameter space of dilute nanorod volume fraction and nanorod activation strength. The particle-scale activation parameter corresponds experimentally to a tunable force dipole strength (so-called pushers with propulsion from the rod tail) generated by active rod macromolecules, e.g., catalysis with the solvent phase, ATP-induced propulsion, or light-activated propulsion. The simulations allow 2d spatial variations in all flow and orientational variables and full spherical orientational degrees of freedom; the attractors correspond to numerical integration of a coupled system of 125 nonlinear PDEs in 2d plus time. The phase diagrams with and without the polar interaction potential are remarkably similar, implying that polar interactions among the rodlike particles are not essential to long-range spatial and temporal correlations in flow, polarity, and nematic order. As a general rule, above a threshold, low volume fractions induce 1d banded patterns, whereas higher yet still dilute volume fractions yield 2d patterns. Again as a general rule, varying activation strength at fixed volume fraction induces novel dynamic transitions. First, stationary patterns saturate the instability of the isotropic

Increments to chiral recognition facilitating enantiomer separations of chiral acids, bases, and ampholytes using Cinchona-based zwitterion exchanger chiral stationary phases.

Science.gov (United States)

Wernisch, Stefanie; Pell, Reinhard; Lindner, Wolfgang

2012-07-01

The intramolecular distances of anion and cation exchanger sites of zwitterionic chiral stationary phases represent potential tuning sites for enantiomer selectivity. In this contribution, we investigate the influence of alkanesulfonic acid chain length and flexibility on enantiomer separations of chiral acids, bases, and amphoteric molecules for six Cinchona alkaloid-based chiral stationary phases in comparison with structurally related anion and cation exchangers. Employing polar-organic elution conditions, we observed an intramolecular counterion effect for acidic analytes which led to reduced retention times but did not impair enantiomer selectivities. Retention of amphoteric analytes is based on simultaneous double ion pairing of their charged functional groups with the acidic and basic sites of the zwitterionic selectors. A chiral center in the vicinity of the strong cation exchanger site is vital for chiral separations of bases. Sterically demanding side chains are beneficial for separations of free amino acids. Enantioseparations of free (un-derivatized) peptides were particularly successful in stationary phases with straight-chain alkanesulfonic acid sites, pointing to a beneficial influence of more flexible moieties. In addition, we observed pseudo-enantiomeric behavior of quinine and quinidine-derived chiral stationary phases facilitating reversal of elution orders for all analytes. © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Goldstone bosons in a crystalline chiral phase

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schramm, Marco

2017-01-01

The phase diagram of strong interaction matter is expected to exhibit a rich structure. Different models have shown, that crystalline phases with a spatially varying chiral condensate can occur in the regime of low temperatures and moderate densities, where they replace the first-order phase transition found for spatially constant order parameters. We investigate this inhomogeneous phase, where in addition to the chiral symmetry, translational and rotational symmetry are broken as well, in a two flavor Nambu--Jona-Lasinio model. The main goal of this work is to describe the Goldstone bosons in this phase, massless excitations that occur for spontaneously broken symmetries. We take one of the simplest possible modulations, the chiral density wave, and show how to derive the quark propagator of the theory analytically, by means of transformations in chiral and momentum space. We apply this to a test case for the gap equation. We show the derivation of Nambu-Goldstone modes in the inhomogeneous phase and find, that for our case only three different modes have to be taken into account. We proceed to calculate the Goldstone boson related to the breaking of spatial symmetry, which can be related to the neutral pion. By evaluating a Bethe-Salpeter equation, we can show, that we have indeed found a Goldstone boson and give its dispersion relation in terms of momenta perpendicular, as well as parallel to the mass modulation.

Goldstone bosons in a crystalline chiral phase

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schramm, Marco

2017-07-24

The phase diagram of strong interaction matter is expected to exhibit a rich structure. Different models have shown, that crystalline phases with a spatially varying chiral condensate can occur in the regime of low temperatures and moderate densities, where they replace the first-order phase transition found for spatially constant order parameters. We investigate this inhomogeneous phase, where in addition to the chiral symmetry, translational and rotational symmetry are broken as well, in a two flavor Nambu--Jona-Lasinio model. The main goal of this work is to describe the Goldstone bosons in this phase, massless excitations that occur for spontaneously broken symmetries. We take one of the simplest possible modulations, the chiral density wave, and show how to derive the quark propagator of the theory analytically, by means of transformations in chiral and momentum space. We apply this to a test case for the gap equation. We show the derivation of Nambu-Goldstone modes in the inhomogeneous phase and find, that for our case only three different modes have to be taken into account. We proceed to calculate the Goldstone boson related to the breaking of spatial symmetry, which can be related to the neutral pion. By evaluating a Bethe-Salpeter equation, we can show, that we have indeed found a Goldstone boson and give its dispersion relation in terms of momenta perpendicular, as well as parallel to the mass modulation.

Chiral chromatography studies of chemical behavior of cinacalcet on polysaccharide chiral reversed-phase HPLC stationary phases.

Science.gov (United States)

Dousa, Michal; Brichác, Jirí

2012-01-01

A rapid HPLC method for the analytical resolution of cinacalcet enantiomers was developed. Four chiral columns (two amylose and two cellulose type) were evaluated in RP systems. Excellent enantioseparation with a resolution of more than 6 was achieved on Chiralpak AY (amylose 5-chloro-2-methylphenylcarbamate chiral stationary phase) using 10 mM triethylamine (pH 8.0)-acetonitrile (40 + 60, v/v) mobile phase. Validation of the HPLC method, including linearity, LOD, LOQ, precision, accuracy, and selectivity, was performed according to the International Conference on Harmonization guidelines. The method was successfully applied for the determination of (S)-cinacalcet in enantiopure active pharmaceutical ingredient (R)-cinacalcet.

Spin nematics next to spin singlets

Science.gov (United States)

Yokoyama, Yuto; Hotta, Chisa

2018-05-01

We provide a route to generate nematic order in a spin-1/2 system. Unlike the well-known magnon-binding mechanism, our spin nematics requires neither the frustration effect nor spin polarization in a high field or in the vicinity of a ferromagnet, but instead appears next to the spin singlet phase. We start from a state consisting of a quantum spin-1/2 singlet dimer placed on each site of a triangular lattice, and show that interdimer ring exchange interactions efficiently dope the SU(2) triplets that itinerate and interact, easily driving a stable singlet state to either Bose-Einstein condensates or a triplet crystal, some hosting a spin nematic order. A variety of roles the ring exchange serves includes the generation of a bilinear-biquadratic interaction between nearby triplets, which is responsible for the emergent nematic order separated from the singlet phase by a first-order transition.

Microwave modulation characteristics of twisted liquid crystals with chiral dopant

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rui Yuan

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Adding a chiral dopant in twisted nematic (TN liquid crystal cell can stabilize the orientation of liquid crystal molecules, particularly in high TN (HTN or super TN (STN liquid crystal cells. The difference in pitches in liquid crystal is induced by the chiral dopant, and these different pitches affect the orientation of liquid crystal director under an external applied voltage and influence the characteristics of microwave modulation. To illustrate this point, the microwave phase shift per unit length (MPSL versus voltage is calculated on the basis of the elastic theory of liquid crystal and the finite-difference iterative method. Enhancing the pitch induced by the chiral dopant in liquid crystal increases the MPSLs, but the stability of the twisted structures is decreased. Thus, appropriate pitches of 100d, 4d, and 2d can be applied in TN, HTN, and STN cells with cell gap d to enhance the characteristics of microwave modulation and stabilize the structures in twisted cell. This method can improve the characteristics of liquid crystal microwave modulators such that the operating voltage and the size of such phase shifters can be decreased.

A parity-breaking electronic nematic phase transition in the spin-orbit coupled correlated metal Cd2Re2O7

Science.gov (United States)

Harter, J. W.; Zhao, Z. Y.; Yan, J.-Q.; Mandrus, D. G.; Hsieh, D.

Strong interactions between electrons are known to drive metallic systems toward a variety of well-known symmetry-broken phases, including superconducting, electronic liquid crystalline, and charge- and spin-density wave ordered states. In contrast, the electronic instabilities of correlated metals with strong spin-orbit coupling have only recently begun to be explored. We uncover a novel multipolar nematic phase of matter in the metallic pyrochlore Cd2Re2O7 using spatially-resolved second-harmonic optical anisotropy measurements. Like previously discovered electronic liquid crystalline phases, this multipolar nematic phase spontaneously breaks rotational symmetry while preserving translational invariance. However, it has the distinguishing property of being odd under spatial inversion, which is allowed only in the presence of spin-orbit coupling. By examining the critical behavior of the multipolar nematic order parameter, we show that it drives the thermal phase transition near 200 K in Cd2Re2O7 and induces a parity-breaking lattice distortion as a secondary order parameter.

Confinement-induced liquid crystalline transitions in amyloid fibril cholesteric tactoids

Science.gov (United States)

Nyström, Gustav; Arcari, Mario; Mezzenga, Raffaele

2018-04-01

Chirality is ubiquitous in nature and plays crucial roles in biology, medicine, physics and materials science. Understanding and controlling chirality is therefore an important research challenge with broad implications. Unlike other chiral colloids, such as nanocellulose or filamentous viruses, amyloid fibrils form nematic phases but appear to miss their twisted form, the cholesteric or chiral nematic phases, despite a well-defined chirality at the single fibril level. Here we report the discovery of cholesteric phases in amyloids, using β-lactoglobulin fibrils shortened by shear stresses. The physical behaviour of these new cholesteric materials exhibits unprecedented structural complexity, with confinement-driven ordering transitions between at least three types of nematic and cholesteric tactoids. We use energy functional theory to rationalize these results and observe a chirality inversion from the left-handed amyloids to right-handed cholesteric droplets. These findings deepen our understanding of cholesteric phases, advancing their use in soft nanotechnology, nanomaterial templating and self-assembly.

Enantioselective potential of polysaccharide-based chiral stationary phases in supercritical fluid chromatography.

Science.gov (United States)

Kucerova, Gabriela; Kalikova, Kveta; Tesarova, Eva

2017-06-01

The enantioselective potential of two polysaccharide-based chiral stationary phases for analysis of chiral structurally diverse biologically active compounds was evaluated in supercritical fluid chromatography using a set of 52 analytes. The chiral selectors immobilized on 2.5 μm silica particles were tris-(3,5-dimethylphenylcarmabate) derivatives of cellulose or amylose. The influence of the polysaccharide backbone, different organic modifiers, and different mobile phase additives on retention and enantioseparation was monitored. Conditions for fast baseline enantioseparation were found for the majority of the compounds. The success rate of baseline and partial enantioseparation with cellulose-based chiral stationary phase was 51.9% and 15.4%, respectively. Using amylose-based chiral stationary phase we obtained 76.9% of baseline enantioseparations and 9.6% of partial enantioseparations of the tested compounds. The best results on cellulose-based chiral stationary phase were achieved particularly with propane-2-ol and a mixture of isopropylamine and trifluoroacetic acid as organic modifier and additive to CO 2 , respectively. Methanol and basic additive isopropylamine were preferred on amylose-based chiral stationary phase. The complementary enantioselectivity of the cellulose- and amylose-based chiral stationary phases allows separation of the majority of the tested structurally different compounds. Separation systems were found to be directly applicable for analyses of biologically active compounds of interest. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Positional short-range order in the nematic phase of n BABAs

Science.gov (United States)

Usha Deniz, K.; Pepy, G.; Parette, G.; Keller, P.

1991-10-01

The positional short-range order, SRO ⊥, perpendicular to the nematic director n̂ has been studied in the fibre-type nematics, nBABAs, by neutron diffraction. SRO ⊥ is found to be dependent on other types of nematic short-range order but not on the orientational long-range order.

Recent progress of chiral stationary phases for separation of enantiomers in gas chromatography.

Science.gov (United States)

Xie, Sheng-Ming; Yuan, Li-Ming

2017-01-01

Chromatography techniques based on chiral stationary phases are widely used for the separation of enantiomers. In particular, gas chromatography has developed rapidly in recent years due to its merits such as fast analysis speed, lower consumption of stationary phases and analytes, higher column efficiency, making it a better choice for chiral separation in diverse industries. This article summarizes recent progress of novel chiral stationary phases based on cyclofructan derivatives and chiral porous materials including chiral metal-organic frameworks, chiral porous organic frameworks, chiral inorganic mesoporous materials, and chiral porous organic cages in gas chromatography, covering original research papers published since 2010. The chiral recognition properties and mechanisms of separation toward enantiomers are also introduced. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Chiral stationary phase optimized selectivity liquid chromatography: A strategy for the separation of chiral isomers.

Science.gov (United States)

Hegade, Ravindra Suryakant; De Beer, Maarten; Lynen, Frederic

2017-09-15

Chiral Stationary-Phase Optimized Selectivity Liquid Chromatography (SOSLC) is proposed as a tool to optimally separate mixtures of enantiomers on a set of commercially available coupled chiral columns. This approach allows for the prediction of the separation profiles on any possible combination of the chiral stationary phases based on a limited number of preliminary analyses, followed by automated selection of the optimal column combination. Both the isocratic and gradient SOSLC approach were implemented for prediction of the retention times for a mixture of 4 chiral pairs on all possible combinations of the 5 commercial chiral columns. Predictions in isocratic and gradient mode were performed with a commercially available and with an in-house developed Microsoft visual basic algorithm, respectively. Optimal predictions in the isocratic mode required the coupling of 4 columns whereby relative deviations between the predicted and experimental retention times ranged between 2 and 7%. Gradient predictions led to the coupling of 3 chiral columns allowing baseline separation of all solutes, whereby differences between predictions and experiments ranged between 0 and 12%. The methodology is a novel tool allowing optimizing the separation of mixtures of optical isomers. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Persistence of Smectic-A Oily Streaks into the Nematic Phase by UV Irradiation of Reactive Mesogens

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ines Gharbi

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Thin smectic liquid crystal films with competing boundary conditions (planar and homeotropic at opposing surfaces form well-known striated structures known as “oily streaks”, which are a series of hemicylindrical caps that run perpendicular to the easy axis of the planar substrate. The streaks vanish on heating into the nematic phase, where the film becomes uniform and exhibits hybrid alignment. On adding sufficient reactive mesogen and polymerizing, the oily streak texture is maintained on heating through the entire nematic phase until reaching the bulk isotropic phase, above which the texture vanishes. Depending on the liquid crystal thickness, the oily streak structure may be retrieved after cooling, which demonstrates the strong impact of the polymer backbone on the liquid crystal texture. Polarizing optical, atomic force, and scanning electron microscopy data are presented.

Separation of piracetam derivatives on polysaccharide-based chiral stationary phases.

Science.gov (United States)

Kažoka, H; Koliškina, O; Veinberg, G; Vorona, M

2013-03-15

High-performance liquid chromatography was used for the enantiomeric separation of two chiral piracetam derivatives. The suitability of six commercially available polysaccharide-based chiral stationary phases (CSPs) under normal phase mode for direct enantioseparation has been investigated. The influence of the CSPs as well the nature and content of an alcoholic modifier in the mobile phase on separation and elution order was studied. It was established that CSP Lux Amylose-2 shows high chiral recognition ability towards 4-phenylsubstituted piracetam derivatives. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Enantioseparation and chiral recognition mechanism of new chiral derivatives of xanthones on macrocyclic antibiotic stationary phases.

Science.gov (United States)

Fernandes, Carla; Tiritan, Maria Elizabeth; Cass, Quezia; Kairys, Visvaldas; Fernandes, Miguel Xavier; Pinto, Madalena

2012-06-08

A chiral HPLC method using four macrocyclic antibiotic chiral stationary phases (CSPs) has been investigated for determination of the enantiomeric purity of fourteen new chiral derivatives of xanthones (CDXs). The separations were performed with the CSPs Chirobiotic T, Chirobiotic TAG, Chirobiotic V and Chirobiotic R under multimodal elution conditions (normal-phase, reversed-phase and polar ionic mode). The analyses were performed at room temperature in isocratic mode and UV and CD detection at a wavelength of 254 nm. The best enantioselectivity and resolution were achieved on Chirobiotic R and Chirobiotic T CSPs, under normal elution conditions, with R(S) ranging from 1.25 to 2.50 and from 0.78 to 2.06, respectively. The optimized chromatographic conditions allowed the determination of the enantiomeric ratio of eight CDXs, always higher than 99%. In order to better understand the chromatographic behavior at a molecular level, and the structural features associated with the chiral recognition mechanism, computational studies by molecular docking were carried out using VDock. These studies shed light on the mechanisms involved in the enantioseparation for this important class of chiral compounds. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Negative stiffness and modulated states in active nematics.

Science.gov (United States)

Srivastava, Pragya; Mishra, Prashant; Marchetti, M Cristina

2016-10-04

We examine the dynamics of an active nematic liquid crystal on a frictional substrate. When frictional damping dominates over viscous dissipation, we eliminate flow in favor of active stresses to obtain a minimal dynamical model for the nematic order parameter, with elastic constants renormalized by activity. The renormalized elastic constants can become negative at large activity, leading to the selection of spatially inhomogeneous patterns via a mechanism analogous to that responsible for modulated phases arising at an equilibrium Lifshitz point. Tuning activity and the degree of nematic order in the passive system, we obtain a linear stability phase diagram that exhibits a nonequilibrium tricritical point where ordered, modulated and disordered phases meet. Numerical solution of the nonlinear equations yields a succession of spatial structures of increasing complexity with increasing activity, including kink walls and active turbulence, as observed in experiments on microtubule bundles confined at an oil-water interface. Our work provides a minimal model for an overdamped active nematic that reproduces all the nonequilibrium structures seen in simulations of the full active nematic hydrodynamics and provides a framework for understanding some of the mechanisms for selection of the nonequilibrium patterns in the language of equilibrium critical phenomena.

Mirror Symmetry Breaking by Chirality Synchronisation in Liquids and Liquid Crystals of Achiral Molecules.

Science.gov (United States)

Tschierske, Carsten; Ungar, Goran

2016-01-04

Spontaneous mirror symmetry breaking is an efficient way to obtain homogeneously chiral agents, pharmaceutical ingredients and materials. It is also in the focus of the discussion around the emergence of uniform chirality in biological systems. Tremendous progress has been made by symmetry breaking during crystallisation from supercooled melts or supersaturates solutions and by self-assembly on solid surfaces and in other highly ordered structures. However, recent observations of spontaneous mirror symmetry breaking in liquids and liquid crystals indicate that it is not limited to the well-ordered solid state. Herein, progress in the understanding of a new dynamic mode of symmetry breaking, based on chirality synchronisation of transiently chiral molecules in isotropic liquids and in bicontinuous cubic, columnar, smectic and nematic liquid crystalline phases is discussed. This process leads to spontaneous deracemisation in the liquid state under thermodynamic control, giving rise to long-term stable symmetry-broken fluids, even at high temperatures. These fluids form conglomerates that are capable of extraordinary strong chirality amplification, eventually leading to homochirality and providing a new view on the discussion of emergence of uniform chirality in prebiotic systems. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Chirality Quantum Phase Transition in Noncommutative Dirac Oscillator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Shao-Hua; Hou Yu-Long; Jing Jian; Wang Qing; Long Zheng-Wen

2014-01-01

The charged Dirac oscillator on a noncommutative plane coupling to a uniform perpendicular magnetic held is studied in this paper. We map the noncommutative plane to a commutative one by means of Bopp shift and study this problem on the commutative plane. We find that this model can be mapped onto a quantum optics model which contains Anti—Jaynes—Cummings (AJC) or Jaynes—Cummings (JC) interactions when a dimensionless parameter ζ (which is the function of the intensity of the magnetic held) takes values in different regimes. Furthermore, this model behaves as experiencing a chirality quantum phase transition when the dimensionless parameter ζ approaches the critical point. Several evidences of the chirality quantum phase transition are presented. We also study the non-relativistic limit of this model and find that a similar chirality quantum phase transition takes place in its non-relativistic limit. (physics of elementary particles and fields)

Detection of a new 'nematic-like' phase in liquid crystal-amphiphile mixture by differential scanning calorimetry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dan, Kaustabh, E-mail: kaustabhdan@gmail.com; Roy, Madhusudan, E-mail: kaustabhdan@gmail.com; Datta, Alokmay, E-mail: kaustabhdan@gmail.com [Surface Physics and Materials Science Division, Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, 1/AF Bidhannagar Block, Sector 1, Kolkata-700064 (India)

2014-04-24

Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) studies on phase transitions of the pure liquid crystalline material N-4-methoxybenzylidene-4-butylaniline (MBBA) and mixtures of MBBA and the amphiphile Stearic Acid (StA) show significant changes in the behavior of mixture from pure MBBA, as regards the nematic-isotropic (N-I) transition temperature (T{sub c}) and other thermodynamic parameters like enthalpy, specific heat and activation energy with concentration of StA. In particular, the convexity of the Arrhenius plot in pure MBBA vanishes with StA concentration pointing to the formation of a new, perhaps 'nematic-like', phase in the mixtures.

Nematic order on the surface of a three-dimensional topological insulator

Science.gov (United States)

Lundgren, Rex; Yerzhakov, Hennadii; Maciejko, Joseph

2017-12-01

We study the spontaneous breaking of rotational symmetry in the helical surface state of three-dimensional topological insulators due to strong electron-electron interactions, focusing on time-reversal invariant nematic order. Owing to the strongly spin-orbit coupled nature of the surface state, the nematic order parameter is linear in the electron momentum and necessarily involves the electron spin, in contrast with spin-degenerate nematic Fermi liquids. For a chemical potential at the Dirac point (zero doping), we find a first-order phase transition at zero temperature between isotropic and nematic Dirac semimetals. This extends to a thermal phase transition that changes from first to second order at a finite-temperature tricritical point. At finite doping, we find a transition between isotropic and nematic helical Fermi liquids that is second order even at zero temperature. Focusing on finite doping, we discuss various observable consequences of nematic order, such as anisotropies in transport and the spin susceptibility, the partial breakdown of spin-momentum locking, collective modes and induced spin fluctuations, and non-Fermi-liquid behavior at the quantum critical point and in the nematic phase.

Directing the phase behavior of polyelectrolyte complexes using chiral patterned peptides

Science.gov (United States)

Pacalin, Naomi M.; Leon, Lorraine; Tirrell, Matthew

2016-10-01

Polyelectrolyte complexes (PECs) have a broad range of promising applications as soft materials due to their self-assembly and diversity of structure and chemical composition. Peptide polymer PECs are highly biocompatible and biodegradable, making them particularly useful for encapsulation of food additives and flavors, micellar drug delivery, medical and underwater adhesives, fetal membrane patches, and scaffolds for cell growth in tissue engineering. While parameters affecting PEC formation and stability in regards to charge effects are well researched, little is known about the effects of van der Waals interactions, hydrogen bonding, and secondary structure in these materials. Peptide chirality provides a unique opportunity to manipulate PEC phase to modulate the amount of solid-like (precipitate) or liquid-like (coacervate) character by influencing hydrogen bonding interactions among peptide chains. In previous work, we showed that chiral peptides form solid complexes, while complexes with even one racemic peptide were fluid. This raised the interesting question of how long a homochiral sequence must be to result in solid phase formation. In this work, we designed chiral patterned peptides of polyglutamic acid and polylysine ranging from 50 to 90% L-chiral residues with increasing numbers of sequential L-chiral residues before a chirality change. These polymers were mixed together to form PECs. We observed that 8 or more sequential L-chiral residues are necessary to achieve both the appearance of a precipitate phase and sustained β-sheets in the complex, as determined by optical imaging and FTIR Spectroscopy. Less homochiral content results in formation of a coacervate phase. Thus, we show that chiral sequence can be used to control the phase transition of PECs. Understanding how to manipulate PEC phase using chiral sequence as presented here may enable tuning of the material properties to achieve the desired mechanical strength for coatings and polymer

Directing the phase behavior of polyelectrolyte complexes using chiral patterned peptides

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pacalin, Naomi M.; Leon, Lorraine; Tirrell, Matthew

2016-10-01

Polyelectrolyte complexes (PECs) have a broad range of promising applications as soft materials due to their self-assembly and diversity of structure and chemical composition. Peptide polymer PECs are highly biocompatible and biodegradable, making them particularly useful for encapsulation of food additives and flavors, micellar drug delivery, medical and underwater adhesives, fetal membrane patches, and scaffolds for cell growth in tissue engineering. While parameters affecting PEC formation and stability in regards to charge effects are well researched, little is known about the effects of van der Waals interactions, hydrogen bonding, and secondary structure in these materials. Peptide chirality provides a unique opportunity to manipulate PEC phase to modulate the amount of solid-like (precipitate) or liquid-like (coacervate) character by influencing hydrogen bonding interactions among peptide chains. In previous work, we showed that chiral peptides form solid complexes, while complexes with even one racemic peptide were fluid. This raised the interesting question of how long a homochiral sequence must be to result in solid phase formation. In this work, we designed chiral patterned peptides of polyglutamic acid and polylysine ranging from 50 to 90% L-chiral residues with increasing numbers of sequential L-chiral residues before a chirality change. These polymers were mixed together to form PECs. We observed that 8 or more sequential L-chiral residues are necessary to achieve both the appearance of a precipitate phase and sustained beta-sheets in the complex, as determined by optical imaging and FTIR Spectroscopy. Less homochiral content results in formation of a coacervate phase. Thus, we show that chiral sequence can be used to control the phase transition of PECs. Understanding how to manipulate PEC phase using chiral sequence as presented here may enable tuning of the material properties to achieve the desired mechanical strength for coatings and polymer

High-performance liquid chromatographic separations of stereoisomers of chiral basic agrochemicals with polysaccharide-based chiral columns and polar organic mobile phases.

Science.gov (United States)

Matarashvili, Iza; Shvangiradze, Iamze; Chankvetadze, Lali; Sidamonidze, Shota; Takaishvili, Nino; Farkas, Tivadar; Chankvetadze, Bezhan

2015-12-01

The separation of the stereoisomers of 23 chiral basic agrochemicals was studied on six different polysaccharide-based chiral columns in high-performance liquid chromatography with various polar organic mobile phases. Along with the successful separation of analyte stereoisomers, emphasis was placed on the effect of the chiral selector and mobile phase composition on the elution order of stereoisomers. The interesting phenomenon of reversal of enantiomer/stereoisomer elution order function of the polysaccharide backbone (cellulose or amylose), type of derivative (carbamate or benzoate), nature, and position of the substituent(s) in the phenylcarbamate moiety (methyl or chloro) and the nature of the mobile phase was observed. For several of the analytes containing two chiral centers all four stereoisomers were resolved with at least one chiral selector/mobile phase combination. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Kinetic pathways of the nematic-isotropic phase transition as studied by confocal microscopy on rod-like viruses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lettinga, M Paul; Kang, Kyongok; Imhof, Arnout; Derks, Didi; Dhont, Jan K G

2005-01-01

We investigate the kinetics of phase separation for a mixture of rod-like viruses (fd) and polymer (dextran), which effectively constitutes a system of attractive rods. This dispersion is quenched from a flow-induced fully nematic state into the region where the nematic and the isotropic phase coexist. We show experimental evidence that the kinetic pathway depends on the overall concentration. When the quench is made at high concentrations, the system is meta-stable and we observe typical nucleation-and-growth. For quenches at low concentration the system is unstable and the system undergoes a spinodal decomposition. At intermediate concentrations we see the transition between both demixing processes, where we locate the spinodal point

Solar radiation control using nematic curvilinear aligned phase (NCAP) liquid crystal technology

Science.gov (United States)

vanKonynenburg, Peter; Marsland, Stephen; McCoy, James

1987-11-01

A new, advanced liquid crystal technology has made economical, large area, electrically-controlled windows a commercial reality. The new technology, Nematic Curvilinear Aligned Phase (NCAP), is based on a polymeric material containing small droplets of nematic liquid crystal which is coated and laminated between transparent electrodes and fabricated into large area field effect devices. NCAP windows feature variable solar transmission and reflection through a voltage-controlled scattering mechanism. Laminated window constructions provide the excellent transmission and visibility of glass in the powered condition. In the unpowered condition, the windows are highly translucent, and provide 1) blocked vision for privacy, security, and obscuration of information, and 2) glare control and solar shading. The stability is excellent during accelerated aging tests. Degradation mechanisms which can limit performance and lifetime are discussed. Maximum long term stability is achieved by product designs that incorporate the appropriate window materials to provide environmental protection.

Optical sensor platform based on cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) - 4'-(hexyloxy)-4-biphenylcarbonitrile (HOBC) bi-phase nematic liquid crystal composite films.

Science.gov (United States)

Santos, Moliria V; Tercjak, Agnieszka; Gutierrez, Junkal; Barud, Hernane S; Napoli, Mariana; Nalin, Marcelo; Ribeiro, Sidney J L

2017-07-15

The preparation of composite materials has gained tremendous attention due to the potential synergy of the combined materials. Here we fabricate novel thermal/electrical responsive photonic composite films combining cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) with a low molecular weight nematic liquid crystal (NLC), 4'-(hexyloxy)-4-biphenylcarbonitrile (HOBC). The obtained composite material combines both intense structural coloration of photonic cellulose and thermal and conductive properties of NLC. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results confirmed that liquid crystals coated CNC films maintain chiral nematic structure characteristic of CNC film and simultaneously, transversal cross-section scanning electron microscopy images indicated penetration of liquid crystals through the CNC layers. Investigated composite film maintain NLC optical properties being switchable as a function of temperature during heating/cooling cycles. The relationship between the morphology and thermoresponsive in the micro/nanostructured materials was investigated by using transmission optical microscopy (TOM). Conductive response of the composite films was proved by Electrostatic force microscopy (EFM) measurement. Designed thermo- and electro-responsive materials open novel simple pathway of fabrication of CNC-based materials with tunable properties. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Rapidly Responsive and Flexible Chiral Nematic Cellulose Nanocrystal Composites as Multifunctional Rewritable Photonic Papers with Eco-Friendly Inks.

Science.gov (United States)

Wan, Hao; Li, Xiaofeng; Zhang, Liang; Li, Xiaopeng; Liu, Pengfei; Jiang, Zhiguo; Yu, Zhong-Zhen

2018-02-14

Rapidly responsive and flexible photonic papers are manufactured by coassembly of cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) and waterborne polyurethane (WPU) latex for fully taking advantage of the chiral nematic structure of CNCs and the flexibility of WPU elastomer. The resulting CNC/WPU composite papers exhibit not only tunable iridescent colors by adjusting the helical pitch size, but also instant optical responses to water and wet gas, ascribed to the easy chain movement of the elastomeric WPU that does not restrict the fast water absorption-induced swelling of CNCs. By choosing water or NaCl aqueous solutions as inks, the colorful patterns on the CNC/WPU photonic paper can be made temporary, durable, or even disguisable. In addition, the photonic paper is simultaneously rewritable for all these three types of patterns, and the disguisable patterns, which are invisible at normal times and show up under stimuli, exhibit a quick reveal conversion just by exhaling on the paper. The rewritability, rapid responsibility, easy fabrication, and the eco-friendly nature of the inks make the flexible photonic paper/ink combination highly promising in sensors, displays, and photonic circuits.

Synthesis and characterization of mesoporous silica modified with chiral auxiliaries for their potential application as chiral stationary phase.

Science.gov (United States)

Mayani, Vishal J; Abdi, S H R; Kureshy, R I; Khan, N H; Agrawal, Santosh; Jasra, R V

2008-05-16

Novel chiral stationary phase (CSP) based on chiral aminoalcohol immobilized on ordered mesoporous silica SBA-15 1a and standard silica 1b and their copper complexes 1a' and 1b', respectively, was synthesized as potential material for chiral ligand exchange chromatography (CLEC). Microanalysis, inductively coupled plasma spectroscopy (ICP), thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA), cross polarized magic angle spinning (CP-MAS) (13)C NMR, Powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), FTIR, N(2) adsorption isotherm, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmitted electron microscope (TEM) and solid reflectance UV-vis spectroscopy were used to characterize these materials. All the chiral stationary phases thus synthesized were used for the separation of different racemic compounds such as mandelic acid, 2,2'-dihydroxy-1,1'-binaphthalene BINOL) and diethyl tartrate by simple medium-pressure column chromatography. Successful enantio-separation of racemic mandelic acid was achieved with all the stationary phases but 1a and 1b gave slightly better resolution than their copper complexes 1a' and 1b'. Remarkably these materials are stable under the given experimental conditions and can be used repeatedly for several cycles of enantioresolution. It was observed that the porosity and surface area of the stationary phase play an important role in the chiral separation.

Nematic fluctuations and resonance in iron-based superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Gallais, Yann

The spontaneous appearance of nematicity, a state of matter that breaks rotation but not translation symmetry, is ubiquitous in many iron based superconductors (Fe SC), and has relevance for the cuprates as well. Here I will review recent electronic Raman scattering experiments which report the presence of critical nematic fluctuations in the charge channel in the tetragonal phase of several Fe SC systems. In electron doped Co-BaFe2As2 (Co-Ba122), these fluctuations extend over most of the superconducting dome. Their associated nematic susceptibility shows Curie-Weiss behavior, and its doping dependence suggests the presence of a nematic quantum critical point near optimal TC Similar nematic fluctuations are also observed in FeSe despite the absence of magnetic order, raising the question of the link between nematicity and magnetism in Fe SC. In FeSe I will further contrast the evolution of nematic fluctuations under isoelectronic S substitution and hydrostatic pressures up to 8 GPa, with only the former showing evidence for a nematic quantum critical point. In the superconducting state of Co-Ba122, I will show that a resonance emerges in the Raman spectra near the nematic quantum critical point. This nematic resonance is a clear fingerprint of the coupling between nematic fluctuations and Bogoliubov quasiparticles, and can be thought as the nematic counterpart of the spin resonance observed in neutron scattering experiments. Support from Agence Nationale de la Recherche via ANR Grant ''Pnictides'' is acknowledged.

Dynamical patterns in nematic active matter on a sphere

Science.gov (United States)

Henkes, Silke; Marchetti, M. Cristina; Sknepnek, Rastko

2018-04-01

Using simulations of self-propelled agents with short-range repulsion and nematic alignment, we explore the dynamical phases of a dense active nematic confined to the surface of a sphere. We map the nonequilibrium phase diagram as a function of curvature, alignment strength, and activity. Our model reproduces several phases seen in recent experiments on active microtubule bundles confined the surfaces of vesicles. At low driving, we recover the equilibrium nematic ground state with four +1 /2 defects. As the driving is increased, geodesic forces drive the transition to a polar band wrapping around an equator, with large empty spherical caps corresponding to two +1 defects at the poles. Upon further increasing activity, the bands fold onto themselves, and the system eventually transitions to a turbulent state marked by the proliferation of pairs of topological defects. We highlight the key role of the nematic persistence length in controlling pattern formation in these confined systems with positive Gaussian curvature.

Dynamics of phase ordering of nematics in a pore

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bhattacharya, A.; Chakrabarti, A.

1994-06-01

We study the kinetics of phase ordering of a nematic liquid crystal, modeled by a spin-rotor Hamiltonian, confined within a parallel piped pore. The dynamics of the rotor obeys the time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau equation. We study the generation and evolution of a variety of defect structures, and the growth of domains, with different anchoring conditions at the pore surface. Unlike in binary fluids, mere confinement with no anchoring field, does not result in slow dynamics. Homeotropic anchoring, however, leads to slow logarithmic growth. Interestingly, homogeneous anchoring dynamically generates wall defects, resulting in an Ising like structure factor at late times. (author). 27 refs, 4 figs

Chiral phase transition in the soft-wall model of AdS/QCD

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chelabi, Kaddour; Fang, Zhen; Huang, Mei; Li, Danning; Wu, Yue-Liang

2016-01-01

We investigate the chiral phase transition in the soft-wall model of AdS/QCD at zero chemical potential for two-flavor and three-flavor cases, respectively. We show that there is no spontaneous chiral symmetry breaking in the original soft-wall model. After detailed analysis, we find that in order to realize chiral symmetry breaking and restoration, both profiles for the scalar potential and the dilaton field are essential. The scalar potential determines the possible solution structure of the chiral condensate, except the mass term, it takes another quartic term for the two-flavor case, and for the three-flavor case, one has to take into account an extra cubic term due to the t’Hooft determinant interaction. The profile of the dilaton field reflects the gluodynamics, which is negative at a certain ultraviolet scale and approaches positive quadratic behavior at far infrared region. With this set-up, the spontaneous chiral symmetry breaking in the vacuum and its restoration at finite temperature can be realized perfectly. In the two-flavor case, it gives a second order chiral phase transition in the chiral limit, while the transition turns to be a crossover for any finite quark mass. In the case of three-flavor, the phase transition becomes a first order one in the chiral limit, while above sufficient large quark mass it turns to be a crossover again. This scenario agrees exactly with the current understanding on chiral phase transition from lattice QCD and other effective model studies.

Depletion-induced biaxial nematic states of boardlike particles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Belli, S; Van Roij, R; Dijkstra, M

2012-01-01

With the aim of investigating the stability conditions of biaxial nematic liquid crystals, we study the effect of adding a non-adsorbing ideal depletant on the phase behavior of colloidal hard boardlike particles. We take into account the presence of the depletant by introducing an effective depletion attraction between a pair of boardlike particles. At fixed depletant fugacity, the stable liquid-crystal phase is determined through a mean-field theory with restricted orientations. Interestingly, we predict that for slightly elongated boardlike particles a critical depletant density exists, where the system undergoes a direct transition from an isotropic liquid to a biaxial nematic phase. As a consequence, by tuning the depletant density, an easy experimental control parameter, one can stabilize states of high biaxial nematic order even when these states are unstable for pure systems of boardlike particles. (paper)

Chirality-selected phase behaviour in ionic polypeptide complexes

Science.gov (United States)

Perry, Sarah L.; Leon, Lorraine; Hoffmann, Kyle Q.; Kade, Matthew J.; Priftis, Dimitrios; Black, Katie A.; Wong, Derek; Klein, Ryan A.; Pierce, Charles F.; Margossian, Khatcher O.; Whitmer, Jonathan K.; Qin, Jian; de Pablo, Juan J.; Tirrell, Matthew

2015-01-01

Polyelectrolyte complexes present new opportunities for self-assembled soft matter. Factors determining whether the phase of the complex is solid or liquid remain unclear. Ionic polypeptides enable examination of the effects of stereochemistry on complex formation. Here we demonstrate that chirality determines the state of polyelectrolyte complexes, formed from mixing dilute solutions of oppositely charged polypeptides, via a combination of electrostatic and hydrogen-bonding interactions. Fluid complexes occur when at least one of the polypeptides in the mixture is racemic, which disrupts backbone hydrogen-bonding networks. Pairs of purely chiral polypeptides, of any sense, form compact, fibrillar solids with a β-sheet structure. Analogous behaviour occurs in micelles formed from polypeptide block copolymers with polyethylene oxide, where assembly into aggregates with either solid or fluid cores, and eventually into ordered phases at high concentrations, is possible. Chirality is an exploitable tool for manipulating material properties in polyelectrolyte complexation. PMID:25586861

Adsorption phenomena and anchoring energy in nematic liquid crystals

CERN Document Server

Barbero, Giovanni

2005-01-01

Despite the large quantity of phenomenological information concerning the bulk properties of nematic phase liquid crystals, little is understood about the origin of the surface energy, particularly the surface, interfacial, and anchoring properties of liquid crystals that affect the performance of liquid crystal devices. Self-contained and unique, Adsorption Phenomena and Anchoring Energy in Nematic Liquid Crystals provides an account of new and established results spanning three decades of research into the problems of anchoring energy and adsorption phenomena in liquid crystals.The book contains a detailed discussion of the origin and possible sources of anchoring energy in nematic liquid crystals, emphasizing the dielectric contribution to the anchoring energy in particular. Beginning with fundamental surface and anchoring properties of liquid crystals and the definition of the nematic phase, the authors explain how selective ion adsorption, dielectric energy density, thickness dependence, and bias voltage...

Numerical method of lines for the relaxational dynamics of nematic liquid crystals.

Science.gov (United States)

Bhattacharjee, A K; Menon, Gautam I; Adhikari, R

2008-08-01

We propose an efficient numerical scheme, based on the method of lines, for solving the Landau-de Gennes equations describing the relaxational dynamics of nematic liquid crystals. Our method is computationally easy to implement, balancing requirements of efficiency and accuracy. We benchmark our method through the study of the following problems: the isotropic-nematic interface, growth of nematic droplets in the isotropic phase, and the kinetics of coarsening following a quench into the nematic phase. Our results, obtained through solutions of the full coarse-grained equations of motion with no approximations, provide a stringent test of the de Gennes ansatz for the isotropic-nematic interface, illustrate the anisotropic character of droplets in the nucleation regime, and validate dynamical scaling in the coarsening regime.

Studies of nematic to smectic-A phase transitions using synchrotron radiation. Experimental techniques and experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Christensen, F.

1981-10-01

High resolution X-ray diffraction on liquid crystals, with a triple-axis spectrometer, was initiated 4-5 years ago, using rotating-anode sources. The triple-axis spectrometer, built at Risoe, is permanently positioned at the DORIS storage ring. Triple-axis X-ray spectrometer work in general and especially at the synchrotron source is a new field and a description of the techniques used is given. The experiments described are studies of the nematic to smectic-A phase transition in liquid crystals. The first is a study of the monomolecular liquid crystal 8-barS5 (C 8 H 17 O-phi-COS-phi-C 5 H 11 , where phi denotes a benzene ring). The second experimental study is one of the reentrance phenomenon in the ternary mixture: 5CTsub(.09):7CBsub(.x):80CBsub(.91-x); where 5CT(C 5 H 11 -phi-phi-phi-CN) and 7CB(C 7 H 15 -phi-phi-CN) have only a nematic phase and not the smectic-A phase. The results are interpreted in terms of Landau theory. Finally, a frame is given for discussing the nature of the smectic-A phase and an experiment is proposed to explore the nature of the smectic-A phase together with detailed calculations of (001)- and (002)-lineshapes for the smectic-A phase. (Auth.)

Quantum Hall Electron Nematics

Science.gov (United States)

MacDonald, Allan

In 2D electron systems hosted by crystals with hexagonal symmetry, electron nematic phases with spontaneously broken C3 symmetry are expected to occur in the quantum Hall regime when triplets of Landau levels associated with three different Fermi surface pockets are partially filled. The broken symmetry state is driven by intravalley Coulombic exchange interactions that favor spontaneously polarized valley occupations. I will discuss three different examples of 2D electron systems in which this type of broken symmetry state is expected to occur: i) the SnTe (111) surface, ii) the Bi (111) surface. and iii) unbalanced bilayer graphene. This type of quantum Hall electron nematic state has so far been confirmed only in the Bi (111) case, in which the anisotropic quasiparticle wavefunctions of the broken symmetry state were directly imaged. In the SnTe case the nematic state phase boundary is controlled by a competition between intravalley Coulomb interactions and intervalley scattering processes that increase in relative strength with magnetic field. An in-plane Zeeman field alters the phase diagram by lifting the three-fold Landau level degeneracy, yielding a ground state energy with 2 π/3 periodicity as a function of Zeeman-field orientation angle. I will comment on the possibility of observing similar states in the absence of a magnetic field. Supported by DOE Division of Materials Sciences and Engineering Grant DE-FG03-02ER45958.

Chiral Spirals from Discontinuous Chiral Symmetry

Science.gov (United States)

Kojo, Toru

2014-09-01

Recently phases of the inhomongeneous chiral condensates (IChC) attract renewed attentions in quark matter context. A number of theoretical studies have suggested that in some domain of moderate quark density the IChC phases are energetically more favored than the normal, chiral symmetric phase. In particular, the NJL-type model studies indicate that the phase of IChCs may mask the usual 1st order chiral phase transition line and its critical end point, and might change the conventional wisdom. In this talk, I will discuss characteristic features of the IChC phases and their potential impacts on the compact star physics. In particular, some of the IChC phases open gaps near the quark Fermi surface, suppressing back-reaction from the quark to gluon sectors. This mechanism delays the chiral restoration in the strange quark sector, forbids the emergence of the large bag constant, and as a consequence, makes the quark matter EOS very stiff. Recently phases of the inhomongeneous chiral condensates (IChC) attract renewed attentions in quark matter context. A number of theoretical studies have suggested that in some domain of moderate quark density the IChC phases are energetically more favored than the normal, chiral symmetric phase. In particular, the NJL-type model studies indicate that the phase of IChCs may mask the usual 1st order chiral phase transition line and its critical end point, and might change the conventional wisdom. In this talk, I will discuss characteristic features of the IChC phases and their potential impacts on the compact star physics. In particular, some of the IChC phases open gaps near the quark Fermi surface, suppressing back-reaction from the quark to gluon sectors. This mechanism delays the chiral restoration in the strange quark sector, forbids the emergence of the large bag constant, and as a consequence, makes the quark matter EOS very stiff. NSF Grants PHY09-69790, PHY13-05891.

Interpretation of cw-ESR spectra of p-methyl-thio-phenyl-nitronyl nitroxide in a nematic liquid crystalline phase.

Science.gov (United States)

Collauto, Alberto; Zerbetto, Mirco; Brustolon, Marina; Polimeno, Antonino; Caneschi, Andrea; Gatteschi, Dante

2012-03-07

In this paper we report on the characterization by continuous wave electron spin resonance spectroscopy (cw-ESR) of a nitronyl nitroxide radical in a nematic phase. A detailed analysis is performed by exploiting an innovative modeling strategy alternative to the usual spectral simulation approach: most of the molecular parameters needed to calculate the spectrum are evaluated a priori and the ESR spectrum is obtained by direct application of the stochastic Liouville equation. Allowing a limited set of fitting parameters it is possible to reproduce satisfactorily ESR spectra in the temperature range 260 K-340 K including the nematic-to-isotropic phase transition (325.1 K). Our results open the way to a more quantitative understanding of the ordering and mobility of nitronyl nitroxide radicals in nanostructured environments.

Chiral Paramagnetic Skyrmion-like Phase in MnSi

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pappas, C.; Lelièvre-Berna, E.; Falus, P.; Bentley, P.M.; Moskvin, E.; Grigoriev, S.; Fouquet, P.; Farago, B.

2009-01-01

We present a comprehensive study of chiral fluctuations in the reference helimagnet MnSi by polarized neutron scattering and neutron spin echo spectroscopy, which reveals the existence of a completely left-handed and dynamically disordered phase. This phase may be identified as a spontaneous

Nematic quantum liquid crystals of bosons in frustrated lattices

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Guanyu; Koch, Jens; Martin, Ivar

2016-04-01

The problem of interacting bosons in frustrated lattices is an intricate one due to the absence of a unique minimum in the single-particle dispersion where macroscopic number of bosons can condense. Here, we consider a family of tight-binding models with macroscopically degenerate lowest energy bands, separated from other bands by a gap. We predict the formation of exotic states that spontaneously break rotational symmetry at relatively low filling. These states belong to three nematic phases: Wigner crystal, supersolid, and superfluid. The Wigner crystal phase is established exactly at low filling. Supersolid and superfluid phases, at larger filling, are obtained by making use of a projection onto the flat band, construction of an appropriate Wannier basis, and subsequent mean-field treatment. The nematic superfluid that we predict is uniform in real space but has an anisotropic momentum distribution, providing a novel scenario for Bose condensation with an additional nematic order. Our findings open up a promising direction of studying microscopic quantum liquid crystalline phases of bosons.

Experimental comparison of chiral metal-organic framework used as stationary phase in chromatography.

Science.gov (United States)

Xie, Sheng-Ming; Zhang, Mei; Fei, Zhi-Xin; Yuan, Li-Ming

2014-10-10

Chiral metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are a new class of multifunctional material, which possess diverse structures and unusual properties such as high surface area, uniform and permanent cavities, as well as good chemical and thermal stability. Their chiral functionality makes them attractive as novel enantioselective adsorbents and stationary phases in separation science. In this paper, the experimental comparison of a chiral MOF [In₃O(obb)₃(HCO₂)(H₂O)] solvent used as a stationary phase was investigated in gas chromatography (GC), high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and capillary electrochromatography (CEC). The potential relationship between the structure and components of chiral MOFs with their chiral recognition ability and selectivity are presented. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Chiral and color-superconducting phase transitions with vector interaction in a simple model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kitazawa, Masakiyo; Koide, Tomoi; Kunihiro, Teiji; Nemoto, Yukio

2002-01-01

We investigate effects of the vector interaction on chiral and color superconducting (CSC) phase transitions at finite density and temperature in a simple Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model. It is shown that the repulsive density-density interaction coming from the vector term, which is present in the effective chiral models but has been omitted, enhances the competition between the chiral symmetry breaking (χSB) and CSC phase transition, and thereby makes the thermodynamic potential have a shallow minimum over a wide range of values of the correlated chiral and CSC order parameters. We find that when the vector coupling is increased, the first order transition between the χSB and CSC phases becomes weaker, and the coexisting phase in which both the chiral and color-gauge symmetry are dynamically broken comes to exist over a wider range of the density and temperature. We also show that there can exist two endpoints, which are tricritical points in the chiral limit, along the critical line of the first order transition in some range of values of the vector coupling. Although our analysis is based on a simple model, the nontrivial interplay between the χSB and CSC phases induced by the vector interaction is expected to be a universal phenomenon and might give a clue to understanding results obtained with two-color QCD on the lattice. (author)

Magnetic quasi-long-range ordering in nematic systems due to competition between higher-order couplings

Science.gov (United States)

Žukovič, Milan; Kalagov, Georgii

2018-05-01

Critical properties of the two-dimensional X Y model involving solely nematic-like terms of the second and third orders are investigated by spin-wave analysis and Monte Carlo simulation. It is found that, even though neither of the nematic-like terms alone can induce magnetic ordering, their coexistence and competition leads to an extended phase of the magnetic quasi-long-range-order phase, wedged between the two nematic-like phases induced by the respective couplings. Thus, except for the multicritical point, at which all the phases meet, for any finite value of the coupling parameters ratio there are two phase transition: one from the paramagnetic phase to one of the two nematic-like phases followed by another one at lower temperatures to the magnetic phase. The finite-size scaling analysis indicates that the phase transitions between the magnetic and nematic-like phases belong to the Ising and three-state Potts universality classes. Inside the competition-induced algebraic magnetic phase, the spin-pair correlation function is found to decay even much more slowly than in the standard X Y model with purely magnetic interactions. Such a magnetic phase is characterized by an extremely low vortex-antivortex pair density attaining a minimum close to the point at which the two couplings are of about equal strength.

Nanoscale interfacial defect shedding in a growing nematic droplet.

Science.gov (United States)

Gurevich, Sebastian; Provatas, Nikolas; Rey, Alejandro

2017-08-01

Interfacial defect shedding is the most recent known mechanism for defect formation in a thermally driven isotropic-to-nematic phase transition. It manifests in nematic-isotropic interfaces going through an anchoring switch. Numerical computations in planar geometry established that a growing nematic droplet can undergo interfacial defect shedding, nucleating interfacial defect structures that shed into the bulk as +1/2 point defects. By extending the study of interfacial defect shedding in a growing nematic droplet to larger length and time scales, and to three dimensions, we unveil an oscillatory growth mode involving shape and anchoring transitions that results in a controllable regular distributions of point defects in planar geometry, and complex structures of disclination lines in three dimensions.

Nanocellulose Derivative/Silica Hybrid Core-Shell Chiral Stationary Phase: Preparation and Enantioseparation Performance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiaoli Zhang

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Core-shell silica microspheres with a nanocellulose derivative in the hybrid shell were successfully prepared as a chiral stationary phase by a layer-by-layer self-assembly method. The hybrid shell assembled on the silica core was formed using a surfactant as template by the copolymerization reaction of tetraethyl orthosilicate and the nanocellulose derivative bearing triethoxysilyl and 3,5-dimethylphenyl groups. The resulting nanocellulose hybrid core-shell chiral packing materials (CPMs were characterized and packed into columns, and their enantioseparation performance was evaluated by high performance liquid chromatography. The results showed that CPMs exhibited uniform surface morphology and core-shell structures. Various types of chiral compounds were efficiently separated under normal and reversed phase mode. Moreover, chloroform and tetrahydrofuran as mobile phase additives could obviously improve the resolution during the chiral separation processes. CPMs still have good chiral separation property when eluted with solvent systems with a high content of tetrahydrofuran and chloroform, which proved the high solvent resistance of this new material.

Electroclinic effect in the chiral lamellar α phase of a lyotropic liquid crystal

Science.gov (United States)

Harjung, Marc D.; Giesselmann, Frank

2018-03-01

In thermotropic chiral Sm -A* phases, an electric field along the smectic layers breaks the D∞ symmetry of the Sm -A* phase and induces a tilt of the liquid crystal director. This so-called electroclinic effect (ECE) was first reported by Garoff and Meyer in 1977 and attracted substantial scientific and technological interest due to its linear and submicrosecond electro-optic response [S. Garoff and R. B. Meyer, Phys. Rev. A 19, 338 (1979), 10.1103/PhysRevA.19.338]. We now report the observation of an ECE in the pretransitional regime from a lyotropic chiral lamellar Lα* phase into a lyo-Sm -C* phase, the lyotropic analog to the thermotropic Sm -C* phase which was recently discovered by Bruckner et al. [Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 52, 8934 (2013), 10.1002/anie.201303344]. We further show that the observed ECE has all signatures of its thermotropic counterpart, namely (i) the effect is chiral in nature and vanishes in the racemic Lα phase, (ii) the effect is essentially linear in the sign and magnitude of the electric field, and (iii) the magnitude of the effect diverges hyperbolically as the temperature approaches the critical temperature of the second order tilting transition. Specific deviations between the ECEs in chiral lamellar and chiral smectic phases are related to the internal field screening effect of electric double layers formed by inevitable ionic impurities in lyotropic phases.

Critical linear thermal expansion in the smectic-A phase near the nematic-smectic phase transition.

Science.gov (United States)

Anesta, E; Iannacchione, G S; Garland, C W

2004-10-01

Recent high-resolution x-ray investigations of the smectic- A (SmA) phase near the nematic-to-SmA transition provide information about the critical behavior of the linear thermal expansion coefficient alpha// parallel to the director. Combining such data with available volume thermal expansion alpha(V) data yields the in-plane linear expansion coefficient alpha(perpendicular) . The critical behaviors of alpha// and alpha(perpendicular) are the same as those for alpha(V) and the heat capacity Cp. However, for any given liquid crystal, alpha//(crit) and alpha(perpendicular)(crit) differ in sign. Furthermore, the quantity alpha// (crit) is positive for SmAd partial bilayer smectics, while it is negative for nonpolar SmAm monomeric smectics. This feature is discussed in terms of the molecular structural aspects of these smectic phases.

SANS study of deformation and relaxation of a comb-like liquid crystal polymer in the nematic phase

Science.gov (United States)

Brûlet, A.; Boué, F.; Keller, P.; Davidson, P.; Strazielle, C.; Cotton, J. P.

1994-06-01

A comb-like liquid crystal polymer is stretched and quenched after a certain time in the nematic phase. The conformation of the deformed chain is determined using small angle neutron scattering (SANS) as a function of the temperature of stretching, the stretching ratio and the duration of the relaxation. The scattering data are well fitted to junction affine and phantom network models. Some data are even well fitted by a totally affine model that we call “ pseudo affine ” because the only parameter, the stretching ratio, is found to be well below the macroscopic stretching ratio. The latter result, never encountered with amorphous polymers, is attributed to the cooperative effects of the nematic phase. We also note that the form factors of the chain in the underformed sample remain similar in the isotropic, nematic and glassy state ; they correspond to a Gaussian chain. The same samples were studied by wide angle X-ray scattering. On one hand, the orientation of the mesogenic groups is found to be parallel or perpendicular to the stretching direction depending on the stretching temperature. This result is discussed as a function of the presence of smectic fluctuations. On the other hand, longer relaxations at constant elongation ratio do not lead to a disorganization of the mesogenic group orientation whereas the polymer chains are partly relaxed.

The half-skyrmion phase in a chiral-quark model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mantovani Sarti, Valentina; Vento, Vicente

2014-01-01

The Chiral Dilaton Model, where baryons arise as non-topological solitons built from the interaction of quarks and chiral mesons, shows in the high density low temperature regime a two phase scenario in the nuclear matter phase diagram. Dense soliton matter described by the Wigner–Seitz approximation generates a periodic potential in terms of the sigma and pion fields that leads to the formation of a band structure. The analysis up to three times nuclear matter density shows that soliton matter undergoes two separate phase transitions: a delocalization of the baryon number density leading to B=1/2 structures, as in skyrmion matter, at moderate densities, and quark deconfinement at larger densities. This description fits well into the so-called quarkyonic phase where, before deconfinement, nuclear matter should undergo structural changes involving the restoration of fundamental symmetries of QCD

Molecular reorientations in the nematic and rotatory phases of di-n-pentyloxyazoxybenzene

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nguyen, X.P.; Krawczyk, J.; Chrusciel, D.

1986-04-01

Results of dielectric relaxation (DR), quasielastic neutron scattering (QNS), calorimetric DSC and preliminary X-ray measurements on the fifth member - 5.OAOB - of the alkoxyazoxybenzene homologous series are presented. It has been found that 5.OAOB exhibits two mesophases: a nematic (N) and an ''intermediate'' crystalline phase (Cr I) just below it. From comparison of the DR and QNS studies one can conclude that in the N phase the molecule as a whole performs rotational diffusion around the long axis (τ perpendicular DR ∼150 ps) and at the same time the two moieties perform faster independent reorientations around N - benzene rings bonds with τ QNS ∼5 ps. The Cr I phase is identified as a solid unaxial rotational phase in which fast molecular reorientations exist. It seems that the fast reorientations observed in the N phase to some extent survive to the Cr I phase. A model of molecular arrangements in the Cr I phase is proposed and it explains the reduction of the dielectric increment observed on passing from the N phase to this phase. (author)

Polarization-Independent Electrically Tunable Holographic Polymer Dispersed Liquid Crystals Grating Doped with Chiral Molecules

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hui LI

2017-08-01

Full Text Available This study proposes a holographic grating made of polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC, with a small amount of chiral molecules doped into PDLC material. The major advantage of this grating is that it is independent of light polarization. This characteristic was verified by applying the interference beam intensity of a He-Cd laser at 150 mW/cm2, with an incidence angle between the two interference beams of 24°, for an irradiation curing duration of 120 s. The observed periodic structure of the grating is consistent with the theoretical value. As chiral molecules are doped, nematic-LC experiences a phase-change in the grating. However, the electro-optical features are only slightly affected. This proposed grating has greatly potential in 3D imaging because of its polarization-independent feature.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.ms.23.2.16312

Quenched disorder and spin-glass correlations in XY nematics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Petridis, L; Terentjev, E M

2006-01-01

We present a theoretical study of the equilibrium ordering in a 3D XY nematic system with quenched random disorder. Within this model, treated with the replica trick and Gaussian variational method, the correlation length is obtained as a function of the local nematic order parameter Q and the effective disorder strength Γ. These results, ξ ∼ Q 2 e 1/Q 2 and ξ ∼ (1/Γ) e -Γ , clarify what happens in the limiting cases of diminishing Q and Γ, that is near a phase transition of a pure system. In particular, it is found that quenched disorder is irrelevant as Q → 0 and hence does not change the character of the continuous XY nematic-isotropic phase transition. We discuss how these results compare with experiments and simulations

Molecular engineering of discotic nematic liquid crystals

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Connecting two columnar phase forming discotic mesogens via a short rigid spacer leads to the formation of a -conjugated discotic dimer showing discotic nematic (D) phase. Attaching branched-alkyl chains directly to the core in hexaalkynylbenzene resulted in the stabilisation of D phase at ambient temperature.

Nematic quantum critical point without magnetism in FeSe1-xSx superconductors.

Science.gov (United States)

Hosoi, Suguru; Matsuura, Kohei; Ishida, Kousuke; Wang, Hao; Mizukami, Yuta; Watashige, Tatsuya; Kasahara, Shigeru; Matsuda, Yuji; Shibauchi, Takasada

2016-07-19

In most unconventional superconductors, the importance of antiferromagnetic fluctuations is widely acknowledged. In addition, cuprate and iron-pnictide high-temperature superconductors often exhibit unidirectional (nematic) electronic correlations, including stripe and orbital orders, whose fluctuations may also play a key role for electron pairing. In these materials, however, such nematic correlations are intertwined with antiferromagnetic or charge orders, preventing the identification of the essential role of nematic fluctuations. This calls for new materials having only nematicity without competing or coexisting orders. Here we report systematic elastoresistance measurements in FeSe1-xSx superconductors, which, unlike other iron-based families, exhibit an electronic nematic order without accompanying antiferromagnetic order. We find that the nematic transition temperature decreases with sulfur content x; whereas, the nematic fluctuations are strongly enhanced. Near [Formula: see text], the nematic susceptibility diverges toward absolute zero, revealing a nematic quantum critical point. The obtained phase diagram for the nematic and superconducting states highlights FeSe1-xSx as a unique nonmagnetic system suitable for studying the impact of nematicity on superconductivity.

Molecular dynamics studies and quantification of the effect of chirality on the formation of liquid crystal mesophases

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Solymosi, Miklos

2002-01-01

Results are presented from theoretical studies and from a series of molecular dynamics simulations undertaken to quantify the effect of chirality on the formation of liquid crystal mesophases. In the theoretical studies we have proposed a scaled chiral index with a formulation which allows comparison to be made between molecules comprising different numbers of atoms. We have undertaken chirality calculations utilizing the proposed scaled chiral index, G 0S , for one optimized static molecular geometry for a range of liquid crystal chiral dopants and ferroelectric liquid crystal molecules. The scaled chiral index, G 0S , allows a rapid calculation to be made of a pseudoscalar quantity which shows a good correlation with the helical twisting power of liquid crystal chiral dopants in a nematic liquid crystal solvent. This could prove a powerful aid in the design of novel dopant molecules where the dopant is rigid and the helical twisting is predominantly a steric effect. The same scaled chirality index, G 0S , calculation for ferroelectric liquid crystal molecules hints at an inverse correlation with spontaneous polarization agreeing with some experimental results. The scaled chiral index is a chemically useful index that can also be decomposed into atomic or functional group contributions, thereby creating a new measure of the asymmetric potential of functional groups and their different possible substitution positions. In the molecular dynamics simulation studies we have investigated two three-site Gay-Berne models, one chiral and the other achiral, each with a rotated central site forming a zigzag shape. In the chiral model one of the end site was additionally rotated out of the plane of the other two sites by a chiral angle θ c . Results from the achiral phase simulations support the theory that steric molecular shape can be associated with a driving force that leads to the smectic A - smectic C phase transition since such a transition was observed in the achiral

Enantiomeric Separation of 1-(Benzofuran-2-yl)alkylamines on Chiral Stationary Phases Based on Chiral Crown Ethers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Soohyun; Kim, Sang Jun; Hyun, Myung Ho

2012-01-01

Optically active chiral amines are important as building blocks for pharmaceuticals and as scaffolds for chiral ligands and, consequently, many efforts have been devoted to the development of efficient methods for their preparation. For example, reduction of amine precursors with chiral catalysts, enzymatic kinetic resolution or dynamic kinetic resolution of racemic amines and the direct amination of ketones with transaminases have been developed as the efficient methods for the preparation of optically active chiral amines. During the process of developing or utilizing optically active chiral amines, the methods for the determination of their enantiomeric composition are essential. Among various methods, liquid chromatographic resolution of enantiomers on chiral stationary phases (CSPs) have been known to be one of the most accurate and economic means for the determination of the enantiomeric composition of optically active chiral compounds. Especially, CSPs based on chiral crown ethers have been successfully used for the resolution of racemic primary amines. For example, CSPs based on (+)-(18-crown-6)-2,3,11,12-tetracarboxylic acid (CSP 1, Figure 1) or (3,3'-diphenyl-1,1'-binaphthyl)-20-crown-6 (CSP 2 and CSP 3, Figure 1) have been known to be quite effective for the resolution of cyclic and non-cyclic amines, various fluoroquinolone antibacterials containing a primary amino group, tocainide (antiarrhythmic agent) and its analogues, aryl-a-amino ketones and 3-amino-1,4-benzodiazepin-2-ones

Quasiparticle scattering image in hidden order phases and chiral superconductors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Thalmeier, Peter [Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids, 01187 Dresden (Germany); Akbari, Alireza, E-mail: alireza@apctp.org [Asia Pacific Center for Theoretical Physics, Pohang, Gyeongbuk 790-784 (Korea, Republic of); Department of Physics, and Max Planck POSTECH Center for Complex Phase Materials, POSTECH, Pohang 790-784 (Korea, Republic of)

2016-02-15

The technique of Bogoliubov quasiparticle interference (QPI) has been successfully used to investigate the symmetry of unconventional superconducting gaps, also in heavy fermion compounds. It was demonstrated that QPI can distinguish between the d-wave singlet candidates in CeCoIn{sub 5}. In URu{sub 2}Si{sub 2} presumably a chiral d-wave singlet superconducting (SC) state exists inside a multipolar hidden order (HO) phase. We show that hidden order leaves an imprint on the symmetry of QPI pattern that may be used to determine the essential question whether HO in URu{sub 2}Si{sub 2} breaks the in-plane rotational symmetry or not. We also demonstrate that the chiral d-wave SC gap leads to a crossover to a quasi-2D QPI spectrum below T{sub c} which sharpens the HO features. Furthermore we investigate the QPI image of chiral p-wave multigap superconductor Sr{sub 2}RuO{sub 4}. - Highlights: • The chiral multigap structure of Sr{sub 2}RuO{sub 4} leads to rotation of QPI spectrum with bias voltage. • 5f band reconstruction in hidden order phase of URu{sub 2}Si{sub 2} is obtained from two orbital model. • The chiral superconductivity in URu{sub 2}Si{sub 2} leads to quasi-2D quasiparticle interference (QPI).

Strong-coupling approach to nematicity in the cuprates

Science.gov (United States)

Orth, Peter Philipp; Jeevanesan, Bhilahari; Schmalian, Joerg; Fernandes, Rafael

The underdoped cuprate superconductor YBa2Cu3O7-δ is known to exhibit an electronic nematic phase in proximity to antiferromagnetism. While nematicity sets in at large temperatures of T ~ 150 K, static spin density wave order only emerges at much lower temperatures. The magnetic response shows a strong in-plane anisotropy, displaying incommensurate Bragg peaks along one of the crystalline directions and a commensurate peak along the other one. Such an anisotropy persists even in the absence of long-range magnetic order at higher temperatures, marking the onset of nematic order. Here we theoretically investigate this situation using a strong-coupling method that takes into account both the localized Cu spins and the holes doped into the oxygen orbitals. We derive an effective spin Hamiltonian and show that charge fluctuations promote an enhancement of the nematic susceptibility near the antiferromagnetic transition temperature.

Fractional quantum Hall systems near nematicity: Bimetric theory, composite fermions, and Dirac brackets

Science.gov (United States)

Nguyen, Dung Xuan; Gromov, Andrey; Son, Dam Thanh

2018-05-01

We perform a detailed comparison of the Dirac composite fermion and the recently proposed bimetric theory for a quantum Hall Jain states near half filling. By tuning the composite Fermi liquid to the vicinity of a nematic phase transition, we find that the two theories are equivalent to each other. We verify that the single mode approximation for the response functions and the static structure factor becomes reliable near the phase transition. We show that the dispersion relation of the nematic mode near the phase transition can be obtained from the Dirac brackets between the components of the nematic order parameter. The dispersion is quadratic at low momenta and has a magnetoroton minimum at a finite momentum, which is not related to any nearby inhomogeneous phase.

Optical modulation in nematic phase of halogen substituted hydrogen bonded liquid crystals

Science.gov (United States)

Vijayakumar, V. N.; Madhu Mohan, M. L. N.

2012-01-01

A series of halogen-substituted hydrogen-bonded liquid crystalline complexes have been designed and synthesised. A successful attempt has been made to form complementary hydrogen bonding between the dodecyloxy benzoic acid (12BAO) and halogen-substituted benzoic acids and the physical properties exhibited by the individual complexes are studied. The complexes obtained are analysed by polarising optical microscope (POM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and dielectric studies. The formation of complementary hydrogen bond is confirmed through FTIR spectra. An interesting feature of this series is the observation of a field-induced transition (FiT) in nematic phase. Another interesting phenomenon is the observation of a new smectic X phase (worm-like texture) in all the synthesised complexes. Dielectric relaxation studies in the smectic C phase of these hydrogen bonded complexes along with the Arrhenius and the Cole-Cole plots are discussed. Optical tilt angle in smectic C phase and the corresponding fitted data analysis concur with the Mean field theory prediction.

Chiral phase transition in a covariant nonlocal NJL model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

General, I.; Scoccola, N.N.

2001-01-01

The properties of the chiral phase transition at finite temperature and chemical potential are investigated within a nonlocal covariant extension of the NJL model based on a separable quark-quark interaction. We find that for low values of T the chiral transition is always of first order and, for finite quark masses, at certain end point the transition turns into a smooth crossover. Our predictions for the position of this point is similar, although somewhat smaller, than previous estimates. (author)

Investigation into the temperature dependence of isotropic- nematic phase transition of Gay- Berne liquid crystals

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A Avazpour

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Density functional approach was used to study the isotropic- nematic (I-N transition and calculate the values of freezing parameters of the Gay- Berne liquid crystal model. New direct and pair correlation functions of a molecular fluid with Gay- Berne pair potential were used. These new functions were used in density functional theory as input to calculate the isotropic- nematic transition densities for elongation at various reduced temperatures. It was observed that the isotropic- nematic transition densities increase as the temperature increases. It was found that the new direct correlation function is suitable to study the isotropic- nematic transition of Gay- Berne liquids. Comparison to other works showed qualitative agreement

Escherichia coli adhesive coating as a chiral stationary phase for open tubular capillary electrochromatography enantioseparation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fu, Qifeng, E-mail: fuqifeng1990@163.com [Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000 (China); Zhang, Kailian; Gao, Die; Wang, Lujun [Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000 (China); Yang, Fengqing; Liu, Yao [School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400030 (China); Xia, Zhining, E-mail: tcm_anal_cqu@163.com [Innovative Drug Research Centre and School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400030 (China); School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400030 (China)

2017-05-29

Bacteria, the microorganism with intrinsic chirality, have numerous fascinating chiral phenomena such as various chirality-triggered biological processes and behaviors. Herein, bacteria were firstly explored as novel chiral stationary phases in open-tubular capillary electrochromatography (OT-CEC) for enantioseparation of fluoroquinolone enantiomers and simultaneous separation of six fluoroquinolone antibiotics. The model strain, i.e. non-pathogenic Escherichia coli (E. coli) DH5α, was adhered onto the inner surface of positively charged polyethyleneimine (PEI) modified capillaries based on the bacterial adhesion characteristics and strong electrostatic interaction. The morphology and thickness of the bacteria adhesive coatings in the capillary were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Baseline separation of ofloxacin and partial separation of lomefloxacin enantiomers could be achieved by the E. coli coated columns. The preparation parameters including the coating time and concentration of bacteria that affecting the chiral resolution were intensively investigated. The electrophoretic parameters, including pH, buffer concentration and applied voltage, were also optimized. The developed method was validated (linearity, LOD, LOQ, intra-day, inter-day and column-to-column repeatability and recovery) and successfully utilized for the quantitative analysis of ofloxacin enantiomers in the ofloxacin tablets. Moreover, only a slight decrease in the separation efficiency was observed after 90 consecutive runs on the E. coli@capillary. These results demonstrated that bacteria are promising stationary phases for chiral separation in CEC. - Highlights: • Bacteria were firstly introduced in OT-CEC as a chiral stationary phase for chiral separation. • Enantioseparation of ofloxacin enantiomers was achieved on E. coli coated open tubular capillary column. • Bacterial stationary phases may be used to

Escherichia coli adhesive coating as a chiral stationary phase for open tubular capillary electrochromatography enantioseparation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fu, Qifeng; Zhang, Kailian; Gao, Die; Wang, Lujun; Yang, Fengqing; Liu, Yao; Xia, Zhining

2017-01-01

Bacteria, the microorganism with intrinsic chirality, have numerous fascinating chiral phenomena such as various chirality-triggered biological processes and behaviors. Herein, bacteria were firstly explored as novel chiral stationary phases in open-tubular capillary electrochromatography (OT-CEC) for enantioseparation of fluoroquinolone enantiomers and simultaneous separation of six fluoroquinolone antibiotics. The model strain, i.e. non-pathogenic Escherichia coli (E. coli) DH5α, was adhered onto the inner surface of positively charged polyethyleneimine (PEI) modified capillaries based on the bacterial adhesion characteristics and strong electrostatic interaction. The morphology and thickness of the bacteria adhesive coatings in the capillary were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Baseline separation of ofloxacin and partial separation of lomefloxacin enantiomers could be achieved by the E. coli coated columns. The preparation parameters including the coating time and concentration of bacteria that affecting the chiral resolution were intensively investigated. The electrophoretic parameters, including pH, buffer concentration and applied voltage, were also optimized. The developed method was validated (linearity, LOD, LOQ, intra-day, inter-day and column-to-column repeatability and recovery) and successfully utilized for the quantitative analysis of ofloxacin enantiomers in the ofloxacin tablets. Moreover, only a slight decrease in the separation efficiency was observed after 90 consecutive runs on the E. coli@capillary. These results demonstrated that bacteria are promising stationary phases for chiral separation in CEC. - Highlights: • Bacteria were firstly introduced in OT-CEC as a chiral stationary phase for chiral separation. • Enantioseparation of ofloxacin enantiomers was achieved on E. coli coated open tubular capillary column. • Bacterial stationary phases may be used to

Liquid crystal polymers: evidence of hairpin defects in nematic main chains, comparison with side chain polymers

Science.gov (United States)

Li, M. H.; Brûlet, A.; Keller, P.; Cotton, J. P.

1996-09-01

This article describes the conformation of two species of liquid crystalline polymers as revealed by small angle neutron scattering. The results obtained with side chain polymers are recalled. The procedure used to analyze the scattering data of main chains in the nematic phase is reported in this paper. It permits a demonstration of the existence of hairpins. Comparison of both polymer species shows that in the isotropic phase, the two polymers adopt a random coil conformation. In the nematic phase, the conformations are very different; the side chains behave as a melt of penetrable random coils whereas the main chains behave as a nematic phase of non penetrable cylinders.

Chiral phase transition of QCD with N{sub f}=2+1 flavors from holography

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Danning [Department of Physics, Jinan University,Guangzhou 510632 (China); Huang, Mei [Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences,Beijing 100049 (China); University of Chinese Academy of Sciences,Beijing 100049 (China); Theoretical Physics Center for Science Facilities, Chinese Academy of Sciences,Beijing 100049 (China)

2017-02-08

Chiral phase transition for three-flavor N{sub f}=2+1 QCD with m{sub u}=m{sub d}≠m{sub s} is investigated in a modified soft-wall holographic QCD model. Solving temperature dependent chiral condensates from equations of motion of the modified soft-wall model, we extract the quark mass dependence of the order of chiral phase transition in the case of N{sub f}=2+1, and the result is in agreement with the “Columbia Plot”, which is summarized from lattice simulations and other non-perturbative methods. First order phase transition is observed around the three flavor chiral limit m{sub u/d}=0,m{sub s}=0, while at sufficient large quark masses it turns to be a crossover phase transition. The first order and crossover regions are separated by a second order phase transition line. The second order line is divided into two parts by the m{sub u/d}=m{sub s} line, and the m{sub s} dependence of the transition temperature in these two parts are totally contrast, which might indicate that the two parts are governed by different universality classes.

Measuring the nematic order of suspensions of colloidal fd virus by x-ray diffraction and optical birefringence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Purdy, Kirstin R.; Dogic, Zvonimir; Fraden, Seth; Ruehm, Adrian; Lurio, Lawrence; Mochrie, Simon G. J.

2003-01-01

The orientational distribution function of the nematic phase of suspensions of the semiflexible rodlike virus fd is measured by x-ray diffraction as a function of concentration and ionic strength. X-ray diffraction from a single-domain nematic phase of fd is influenced by interparticle correlations at low angle, while only intraparticle scatter contributes at high angle. Consequently, the angular distribution of the scattered intensity arises from only the single-particle orientational distribution function at high angle but it also includes spatial and orientational correlations at low angle. Experimental measurements of the orientational distribution function from both the interparticle (structure factor) and intraparticle (form factor) scattering were made to test whether the correlations present in interparticle scatter influence the measurement of the single-particle orientational distribution function. It was found that the two types of scatter yield consistent values for the nematic order parameter. It was also found that x-ray diffraction is insensitive to the orientational distribution function's precise form, and the measured angular intensity distribution is described equally well by both Onsager's trial function and a Gaussian. At high ionic strength, the order parameter S of the nematic phase coexisting with the isotropic phase approaches theoretical predictions for long semiflexible rods S=0.55, but deviations from theory increase with decreasing ionic strength. The concentration dependence of the nematic order parameter also better agrees with theoretical predictions at high ionic strength indicating that electrostatic interactions have a measurable effect on the nematic order parameter. The x-ray order parameters are shown to be proportional to the measured birefringence, and the saturation birefringence of fd is determined enabling a simple, inexpensive way to measure the order parameter. Additionally, the spatial ordering of nematic fd was probed

Synergistic effects on enantioselectivity of zwitterionic chiral stationary phases for separations of chiral acids, bases, and amino acids by HPLC.

Science.gov (United States)

Hoffmann, Christian V; Pell, Reinhard; Lämmerhofer, Michael; Lindner, Wolfgang

2008-11-15

In an attempt to overcome the limited applicability scope of earlier proposed Cinchona alkaloid-based chiral weak anion exchangers (WAX) and recently reported aminosulfonic acid-based chiral strong cation exchangers (SCX), which are conceptionally restricted to oppositely charged solutes, their individual chiral selector (SO) subunits have been fused in a combinatorial synthesis approach into single, now zwitterionic, chiral SO motifs. The corresponding zwitterionic ion-exchange-type chiral stationary phases (CSPs) in fact combined the applicability spectra of the parent chiral ion exchangers allowing for enantioseparations of chiral acids and amine-type solutes in liquid chromatography using polar organic mode with largely rivaling separation factors as compared to the parent WAX and SCX CSPs. Furthermore, the application spectrum could be remarkably expanded to various zwitterionic analytes such as alpha- and beta-amino acids and peptides. A set of structurally related yet different CSPs consisting of either a quinine or quinidine alkaloid moiety as anion-exchange subunit and various chiral or achiral amino acids as cation-exchange subunits enabled us to derive structure-enantioselectivity relationships, which clearly provided strong unequivocal evidence for synergistic effects of the two oppositely charged ion-exchange subunits being involved in molecular recognition of zwitterionic analytes by zwitterionic SOs driven by double ionic coordination.

Self-assembled structures of Gaussian nematic particles.

Science.gov (United States)

Nikoubashman, Arash; Likos, Christos N

2010-03-17

We investigate the stable crystalline configurations of a nematic liquid crystal made of soft parallel ellipsoidal particles interacting via a repulsive, anisotropic Gaussian potential. For this purpose, we use genetic algorithms (GA) in order to predict all relevant and possible solid phase candidates into which this fluid can freeze. Subsequently we present and discuss the emerging novel structures and the resulting zero-temperature phase diagram of this system. The latter features a variety of crystalline arrangements, in which the elongated Gaussian particles in general do not align with any one of the high-symmetry crystallographic directions, a compromise arising from the interplay and competition between anisotropic repulsions and crystal ordering. Only at very strong degrees of elongation does a tendency of the Gaussian nematics to align with the longest axis of the elementary unit cell emerge.

Demixing by a Nematic Mean Field: Coarse-Grained Simulations of Liquid Crystalline Polymers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ramírez-Hernández, Abelardo; Hur, Su-Mi; Armas-Pérez, Julio; Cruz, Monica; de Pablo, Juan

2017-03-01

Liquid crystalline polymers exhibit a particular richness of behaviors that stems from their rigidity and their macromolecular nature. On the one hand, the orientational interaction between liquid-crystalline motifs promotes their alignment, thereby leading to the emergence of nematic phases. On the other hand, the large number of configurations associated with polymer chains favors formation of isotropic phases, with chain stiffness becoming the factor that tips the balance. In this work, a soft coarse-grained model is introduced to explore the interplay of chain stiffness, molecular weight and orientational coupling, and their role on the isotropic-nematic transition in homopolymer melts. We also study the structure of polymer mixtures composed of stiff and flexible polymeric molecules. We consider the effects of blend composition, persistence length, molecular weight and orientational coupling strength on the melt structure at the nano-and mesoscopic levels. Conditions are found where the systems separate into two phases, one isotropic and the other nematic. We confirm the existence of non-equilibrium states that exhibit sought-after percolating nematic domains, which are of interest for applications in organic photovoltaic and electronic devices.

Emergent Chiral Spin State in the Mott Phase of a Bosonic Kane-Mele-Hubbard Model

Science.gov (United States)

Plekhanov, Kirill; Vasić, Ivana; Petrescu, Alexandru; Nirwan, Rajbir; Roux, Guillaume; Hofstetter, Walter; Le Hur, Karyn

2018-04-01

Recently, the frustrated X Y model for spins 1 /2 on the honeycomb lattice has attracted a lot of attention in relation with the possibility to realize a chiral spin liquid state. This model is relevant to the physics of some quantum magnets. Using the flexibility of ultracold atom setups, we propose an alternative way to realize this model through the Mott regime of the bosonic Kane-Mele-Hubbard model. The phase diagram of this model is derived using bosonic dynamical mean-field theory. Focusing on the Mott phase, we investigate its magnetic properties as a function of frustration. We do find an emergent chiral spin state in the intermediate frustration regime. Using exact diagonalization we study more closely the physics of the effective frustrated X Y model and the properties of the chiral spin state. This gapped phase displays a chiral order, breaking time-reversal and parity symmetry, but is not topologically ordered (the Chern number is zero).

Spontaneous topological charging of tactoids in a living nematic

Science.gov (United States)

Genkin, Mikhail M.; Sokolov, Andrey; Aranson, Igor S.

2018-04-01

Living nematic is a realization of an active matter combining a nematic liquid crystal with swimming bacteria. The material exhibits a remarkable tendency towards spatio-temporal self-organization manifested in formation of dynamic textures of self-propelled half-integer topological defects (disclinations). Here we report on the study of such living nematic near normal inclusions, or tactoids, naturally realized in liquid crystals close to the isotropic-nematic (I–N) phase transition. On the basis of the computational analysis, we have established that tactoid’s I–N interface spontaneously acquire negative topological charge which is proportional to the tactoid’s size and depends on the concentration of bacteria. The observed negative charging is attributed to the drastic difference in the mobilities of +1/2 and ‑1/2 topological defects in active systems. The effect is described in the framework of a kinetic theory for point-like weakly-interacting defects with different mobilities. Our dedicated experiment fully confirmed the theoretical prediction. The results hint into new strategies for control of active matter.

Effects of molecular elongation on liquid crystalline phase behaviour: isotropic-nematic transition

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Ram Chandra; Ram, Jokhan

2003-08-01

We present the density-functional approach to study the isotropic-nematic transitions and calculate the values of freezing parameters of the Gay-Berne liquid crystal model, concentrating on the effects of varying the molecular elongation, x0. For this, we have solved the Percus-Yevick integral equation theory to calculate the pair-correlation functions of a fluid the molecules of which interact via a Gay-Berne pair potential. These results have been used in the density-functional theory as an input to locate the isotropic-nematic transition and calculate freezing parameters for a range of length-to-width parameters 3.0⩽ x0⩽4.0 at reduced temperatures 0.95 and 1.25. We observed that as x0 is increased, the isotropic-nematic transition is seen to move to lower density at a given temperature. We find that the density-functional theory is good to study the freezing transitions in such fluids. We have also compared our results with computer simulation results wherever they are available.

Enantioseparation of novel chiral sulfoxides on chlorinated polysaccharide stationary phases in supercritical fluid chromatography.

Science.gov (United States)

West, Caroline; Konjaria, Mari-Luiza; Shashviashvili, Natia; Lemasson, Elise; Bonnet, Pascal; Kakava, Rusudan; Volonterio, Alessandro; Chankvetadze, Bezhan

2017-05-26

Asymmetric sulfoxides is a particular case of chirality that may be found in natural as well as synthetic products. Twenty-four original molecules containing a sulfur atom as a centre of chirality were analyzed in supercritical fluid chromatography on seven polysaccharide-based chiral stationary phases (CSP) with carbon dioxide - methanol mobile phases. While all the tested CSP provided enantioseparation for a large part of the racemates, chlorinated cellulosic phases proved to be both highly retentive and highly enantioselective towards these species. Favourable structural features were determined by careful comparison of the enantioseparation of the probe molecules. Molecular modelling studies indicate that U-shaped (folded) conformations were most favorable to achieve high enantioresolution on these CSP, while linear (extended) conformations were not so clearly discriminated. For a subset of these species adopting different conformations, a broad range of mobile phase compositions, ranging from 20 to 100% methanol in carbon dioxide, were investigated. While retention decreased continuously in this range, enantioseparation varied in a non-monotonous fashion. Abrupt changes in the tendency curves of retention and selectivity were observed when methanol proportion reaches about 60%, suggesting that a change in the conformation of the analytes and/or chiral selector is occurring at this point. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Nematicity, magnetism and superconductivity in FeSe.

Science.gov (United States)

Böhmer, Anna E; Kreisel, Andreas

2018-01-17

Iron-based superconductors are well known for their complex interplay between structure, magnetism and superconductivity. FeSe offers a particularly fascinating example. This material has been intensely discussed because of its extended nematic phase, whose relationship with magnetism is not obvious. Superconductivity in FeSe is highly tunable, with the superconducting transition temperature, T c , ranging from 8 K in bulk single crystals at ambient pressure to almost 40 K under pressure or in intercalated systems, and to even higher temperatures in thin films. In this topical review, we present an overview of nematicity, magnetism and superconductivity, and discuss the interplay of these phases in FeSe. We focus on bulk FeSe and the effects of physical pressure and chemical substitutions as tuning parameters. The experimental results are discussed in the context of the well-studied iron-pnictide superconductors and interpretations from theoretical approaches are presented.

Central-to-axial chirality transfer revealed by liquid crystals: a combined experimental and computational approach for the determination of absolute configuration of carboxylic acids with an α chirality centre.

Science.gov (United States)

Ferrarini, Alberta; Ferroni, Fiammetta; Pieraccini, Silvia; Rosini, Carlo; Superchi, Stefano; Spada, Gian Piero

2011-10-01

The conversion into 6,7-dihydro-5H-dibenz[c,e]azepine (DAZ) N-protected amides is a viable route for the determination of the absolute configuration of chiral 2-substituted carboxylic acids. The biphenyl moiety of DAZ, besides being a probe of chirality for the electronic circular dichroism (ECD) spectroscopy, makes these systems suitable for configuration assignment by exploiting the chirality amplification which occurs in nematic liquid crystals. To assess the reliability of the liquid crystal method in detecting the absolute stereochemistry of chiral amides bound to a biphenyl group, we measured the helical twisting power of a series of DAZ-N-protected amides and compared these data with the results obtained from ECD measurements. We will show that the liquid crystal method, corroborated by HTP predictions, is trustworthy with our biphenyl derivatives, even when ECD spectra are ambiguous for the presence of aryl moieties displaying strong UV absorptions in the same range of the biphenyl chromophore. © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Milestone in the NTB phase investigation and beyond: direct insight into molecular self-assembly.

Science.gov (United States)

Ivšić, Trpimir; Vinković, Marijana; Baumeister, Ute; Mikleušević, Ana; Lesac, Andreja

2014-12-14

Although liquid-crystalline materials are most widely exploited for flat-panel displays, their ability to self-organize into periodically ordered nanostructures gives rise to a broad variety of additional applications. The recently discovered low-temperature nematic phase (N(TB)) with unusual characteristics generated considerable attention within the scientific community: despite the fact that the molecules from which the phase is composed are not chiral, the helicoidal structure of the phase is strongly implicated. Here we report on combined experimental, computational and spectroscopic studies of the structural aspects influencing formation of the N(TB) phase as well as on the molecular organization within the phase. In an extensive DFT study, the structure-property prerequisite was traced to a "bent-propeller" shape of the molecule. We also demonstrate the first utilization of liquid state NMR for direct analysis of intermolecular interactions within thermotropic liquid-crystalline phases, providing new insight into molecular packing that can lead towards design of novel chiral functional materials. The synergy of experimental, computational and NMR studies suggests a syn-parallel helical molecular organization within the N(TB) phase.

Nematic fluctuations in iron arsenides NaFeAs and LiFeAs probed by 75As NMR

Science.gov (United States)

Toyoda, Masayuki; Kobayashi, Yoshiaki; Itoh, Masayuki

2018-03-01

75As NMR measurements have been made on single crystals to study the nematic state in the iron arsenides NaFeAs, which undergoes a structural transition from a high-temperature (high-T ) tetragonal phase to a low-T orthorhombic phase at Ts=57 K and an antiferromagnetic transition at TN=42 K, and LiFeAs having a superconducting transition at Tc=18 K. We observe the in-plane anisotropy of the electric field gradient η even in the tetragonal phase of NaFeAs and LiFeAs, showing the local breaking of tetragonal C4 symmetry. Then, η is found to obey the Curie-Weiss (CW) law as well as in Ba (Fe1-xCox) 2As2 . The good agreement between η and the nematic susceptibility obtained by electronic Raman spectroscopy indicates that η is governed by the nematic susceptibility. From comparing η in NaFeAs and LiFeAs with η in Ba (Fe1-xCox) 2As2 , we discuss the carrier-doping dependence of the nematic susceptibility. The spin contribution to nematic susceptibility is also discussed from comparing the CW terms in η with the nuclear spin-lattice relaxation rate divided by temperature 1 /T1T . Finally, we discuss the nematic transition in the paramagnetic orthorhombic phase of NaFeAs from the in-plane anisotropy of 1 /T1T .

Strong cation exchange-type chiral stationary phase for enantioseparation of chiral amines in subcritical fluid chromatography.

Science.gov (United States)

Wolrab, Denise; Kohout, Michal; Boras, Mario; Lindner, Wolfgang

2013-05-10

A new strong cation exchange type chiral stationary phase (SCX CSP) based on a syringic acid amide derivative of trans-(R, R)-2-aminocyclohexanesulfonic acid was applied to subcritical fluid chromatography (SFC) for separation of various chiral basic drugs and their analogues. Mobile phase systems consisting of aliphatic alcohols as polar modifiers and a broad range of amines with different substitution patterns and lipophilicity were employed to evaluate the impact on the SFC retention and selectivity characteristics. The observed results point to the existence of carbonic and carbamic acid salts formed as a consequence of reactions occurring between carbon dioxide, the alcoholic modifiers and the amine species present in the sub/supercritical fluid medium, respectively. Evidence is provided that these species are essential for affecting ion exchange between the strongly acidic chiral selector units and the basic analytes, following the well-established stoichiometric displacement mechanisms. Specific trends were observed when different types of amines were used as basic additives. While ammonia gave rise to the formation of the most strongly eluting carbonic and carbamic salt species, simple tertiary amines consistently provided superior levels of enantioselectivity. Furthermore, trends in the chiral SFC separation characteristics were investigated by the systematic variation of the modifier content and temperature. Different effects of additives are interpreted in terms of changes in the relative concentration of the transient ionic species contributing to analyte elution, with ammonia-derived carbamic salts being depleted at elevated temperatures by decomposition. Additionally, in an effort to optimize SFC enantiomer separation conditions for selected analytes, the impact of the type of the organic modifier, temperature, flow rate and active back pressure were also investigated. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Observation of hairpin defects in a nematic main-chain polyester

Science.gov (United States)

Li, M. H.; Brûlet, A.; Davidson, P.; Keller, P.; Cotton, J. P.

1993-04-01

The conformation of a main-chain liquid crystalline polyester in its oriented nematic phase has been determined by small-angle neutron scattering. The data are fitted by a model of rigid cylinder with orientational fluctuations. For a low degree of polymerization (~9) the chain is almost completely elongated in the direction of the nematic field. For a polymer 3 times longer, the existence of two hairpins is shown at high temperature; this number decreases with decreasing temperature.

Formation and field-driven dynamics of nematic spheroids.

Science.gov (United States)

Fu, Fred; Abukhdeir, Nasser Mohieddin

2017-07-19

Unlike the canonical application of liquid crystals (LCs), LC displays, emerging technologies based on LC materials are increasingly leveraging the presence of nanoscale defects. The inherent nanoscale characteristics of LC defects present both significant opportunities as well as barriers for the application of this fascinating class of materials. Simulation-based approaches to the study of the effects of confinement and interface anchoring conditions on LC domains has resulted in significant progress over the past decade, where simulations are now able to access experimentally-relevant length scales while simultaneously capturing nanoscale defect structures. In this work, continuum simulations were performed in order to study the dynamics of micron-scale nematic LC spheroids of varying shape. Nematic spheroids are one of the simplest inherently defect-containing LC structures and are relevant to polymer-dispersed LC-based "smart" window technology. Simulation results include nematic phase formation and external field-switching dynamics of nematic spheroids ranging in shape from oblate to prolate. Results include both qualitative and quantitative insight into the complex coupling of nanoscale defect dynamics and structure transitions to micron-scale reorientation. Dynamic mechanisms are presented and related to structural transitions in LC defects present in the nematic domain. Domain-averaged metrics including order parameters and response times are determined for a range of experimentally-accessible electric field strengths. These results have both fundamental and technological relevance, in that increased understanding of LC dynamics in the presence of defects is a key barrier to continued advancement in the field.

Self-assembly of hard helices: a rich and unconventional polymorphism.

Science.gov (United States)

Kolli, Hima Bindu; Frezza, Elisa; Cinacchi, Giorgio; Ferrarini, Alberta; Giacometti, Achille; Hudson, Toby S; De Michele, Cristiano; Sciortino, Francesco

2014-11-07

Hard helices can be regarded as a paradigmatic elementary model for a number of natural and synthetic soft matter systems, all featuring the helix as their basic structural unit, from natural polynucleotides and polypeptides to synthetic helical polymers, and from bacterial flagella to colloidal helices. Here we present an extensive investigation of the phase diagram of hard helices using a variety of methods. Isobaric Monte Carlo numerical simulations are used to trace the phase diagram; on going from the low-density isotropic to the high-density compact phases a rich polymorphism is observed, exhibiting a special chiral screw-like nematic phase and a number of chiral and/or polar smectic phases. We present full characterization of the latter, showing that they have unconventional features, ascribable to the helical shape of the constituent particles. Equal area construction is used to locate the isotropic-to-nematic phase transition, and the results are compared with those stemming from an Onsager-like theory. Density functional theory is also used to study the nematic-to-screw-nematic phase transition; within the simplifying assumption of perfectly parallel helices, we compare different levels of approximation, that is second- and third-virial expansions and a Parsons-Lee correction.

Transitions through critical temperatures in nematic liquid crystals

KAUST Repository

Majumdar, Apala; Ockendon, John; Howell, Peter; Surovyatkina, Elena

2013-01-01

We obtain estimates for critical nematic liquid crystal (LC) temperatures under the action of a slowly varying temperature-dependent control variable. We show that biaxiality has a negligible effect within our model and that these delay estimates are well described by a purely uniaxial model. The static theory predicts two critical temperatures: the supercooling temperature below which the isotropic phase loses stability and the superheating temperature above which the ordered nematic states do not exist. In contrast to the static problem, the isotropic phase exhibits a memory effect below the supercooling temperature in the dynamic framework. This delayed loss of stability is independent of the rate of change of temperature and depends purely on the initial value of the temperature. We also show how our results can be used to improve estimates for LC material constants. © 2013 American Physical Society.

Transitions through critical temperatures in nematic liquid crystals

KAUST Repository

Majumdar, Apala

2013-08-06

We obtain estimates for critical nematic liquid crystal (LC) temperatures under the action of a slowly varying temperature-dependent control variable. We show that biaxiality has a negligible effect within our model and that these delay estimates are well described by a purely uniaxial model. The static theory predicts two critical temperatures: the supercooling temperature below which the isotropic phase loses stability and the superheating temperature above which the ordered nematic states do not exist. In contrast to the static problem, the isotropic phase exhibits a memory effect below the supercooling temperature in the dynamic framework. This delayed loss of stability is independent of the rate of change of temperature and depends purely on the initial value of the temperature. We also show how our results can be used to improve estimates for LC material constants. © 2013 American Physical Society.

QCD phase transition with chiral quarks and physical quark masses.

Science.gov (United States)

Bhattacharya, Tanmoy; Buchoff, Michael I; Christ, Norman H; Ding, H-T; Gupta, Rajan; Jung, Chulwoo; Karsch, F; Lin, Zhongjie; Mawhinney, R D; McGlynn, Greg; Mukherjee, Swagato; Murphy, David; Petreczky, P; Renfrew, Dwight; Schroeder, Chris; Soltz, R A; Vranas, P M; Yin, Hantao

2014-08-22

We report on the first lattice calculation of the QCD phase transition using chiral fermions with physical quark masses. This calculation uses 2+1 quark flavors, spatial volumes between (4 fm)(3) and (11 fm)(3) and temperatures between 139 and 196 MeV. Each temperature is calculated at a single lattice spacing corresponding to a temporal Euclidean extent of N(t) = 8. The disconnected chiral susceptibility, χ(disc) shows a pronounced peak whose position and height depend sensitively on the quark mass. We find no metastability near the peak and a peak height which does not change when a 5 fm spatial extent is increased to 10 fm. Each result is strong evidence that the QCD "phase transition" is not first order but a continuous crossover for m(π) = 135 MeV. The peak location determines a pseudocritical temperature T(c) = 155(1)(8) MeV, in agreement with earlier staggered fermion results. However, the peak height is 50% greater than that suggested by previous staggered results. Chiral SU(2)(L) × SU(2)(R) symmetry is fully restored above 164 MeV, but anomalous U(1)(A) symmetry breaking is nonzero above T(c) and vanishes as T is increased to 196 MeV.

Temperature-dependent study of isotropic-nematic transition for a Gay-Berne fluid using density-functional theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Singh, Ram Chandra

2007-01-01

We have used the density-functional theory to study the effect of varying temperature on the isotropic-nematic transition of a fluid of molecules interacting via the Gay-Berne intermolecular potential. The nematic phase is found to be stable with respect to isotropic phase in the temperature range 0.80≤T*≤1.25. Pair correlation functions needed as input information in density-functional theory is calculated using the Percus-Yevick integral equation theory. We find that the density-functional theory is good for studying the isotropic-nematic transition in molecular fluids if the values of the pair-correlation functions in the isotropic phase are known accurately. We have also compared our results with computer simulation results wherever they are available

Topology in the SU(Nf) chiral symmetry restored phase of unquenched QCD and axion cosmology

Science.gov (United States)

Azcoiti, Vicente

2018-03-01

The axion is one of the more interesting candidates to make the dark matter of the universe, and the axion potential plays a fundamental role in the determination of the dynamics of the axion field. Moreover, the way in which the U(1)A anomaly manifests itself in the chiral symmetry restored phase of QCD at high temperature could be tested when probing the QCD phase transition in relativistic heavy ion collisions. With these motivations, we investigate the physical consequences of the survival of the effects of the U(1)A anomaly in the chiral symmetric phase of QCD, and show that the free energy density is a singular function of the quark mass m, in the chiral limit, and that the σ and π susceptibilities diverge in this limit at any T ≥ Tc. We also show that the difference between the π and t;δ susceptibilities diverges in the chiral limit at any T ≥ Tc, a result that can be contrasted with the existing lattice calculations; and discuss on the generalization of these results to the Nf ≥ 3 model.

Anomaly constraints on deconfinement and chiral phase transition

Science.gov (United States)

Shimizu, Hiroyuki; Yonekura, Kazuya

2018-05-01

We study the constraints on thermal phase transitions of SU (Nc) gauge theories by using the 't Hooft anomaly involving the center symmetry and chiral symmetry. We consider two cases of massless fermions: (i) adjoint fermions and (ii) Nf flavors of fundamental fermions with a nontrivial greatest common divisor, gcd (Nc,Nf)≠1 . For the first case (i), we show that the chiral symmetry restoration in terms of the standard Landau-Ginzburg effective action is impossible at a temperature lower than that of deconfinement. For the second case (ii), we introduce a modified version of the center symmetry, which we call center-flavor symmetry, and draw similar conclusions under a certain definition of confinement. Moreover, at zero temperature, our results give a partial explanation of the appearance of dual magnetic gauge groups in (supersymmetric) QCD when gcd (Nc,Nf)≠1 .

Fluctuating dynamics of nematic liquid crystals using the stochastic method of lines

Science.gov (United States)

Bhattacharjee, A. K.; Menon, Gautam I.; Adhikari, R.

2010-07-01

We construct Langevin equations describing the fluctuations of the tensor order parameter Qαβ in nematic liquid crystals by adding noise terms to time-dependent variational equations that follow from the Ginzburg-Landau-de Gennes free energy. The noise is required to preserve the symmetry and tracelessness of the tensor order parameter and must satisfy a fluctuation-dissipation relation at thermal equilibrium. We construct a noise with these properties in a basis of symmetric traceless matrices and show that the Langevin equations can be solved numerically in this basis using a stochastic version of the method of lines. The numerical method is validated by comparing equilibrium probability distributions, structure factors, and dynamic correlations obtained from these numerical solutions with analytic predictions. We demonstrate excellent agreement between numerics and theory. This methodology can be applied to the study of phenomena where fluctuations in both the magnitude and direction of nematic order are important, as for instance, in the nematic swarms which produce enhanced opalescence near the isotropic-nematic transition or the problem of nucleation of the nematic from the isotropic phase.

Electron spin resonance for the detection of long-range spin nematic order

Science.gov (United States)

Furuya, Shunsuke C.; Momoi, Tsutomu

2018-03-01

Spin nematic phase is a quantum magnetic phase characterized by a quadrupolar order parameter. Since the quadrupole operators are directly coupled to neither the magnetic field nor the neutron, currently, it is an important issue to develop a method for detecting the long-range spin nematic order. In this paper, we propose that electron spin resonance (ESR) measurements enable us to detect the long-range spin nematic order. We show that the frequency of the paramagnetic resonance peak in the ESR spectrum is shifted by the ferroquadrupolar order parameter together with other quantities. The ferroquadrupolar order parameter is extractable from the angular dependence of the frequency shift. In contrast, the antiferroquadrupolar order parameter is usually invisible in the frequency shift. Instead, the long-range antiferroquadrupolar order yields a characteristic resonance peak in the ESR spectrum, which we call a magnon-pair resonance peak. This resonance corresponds to the excitation of the bound magnon pair at the wave vector k =0 . Reflecting the condensation of bound magnon pairs, the field dependence of the magnon-pair resonance frequency shows a singular upturn at the saturation field. Moreover, the intensity of the magnon-pair resonance peak shows a characteristic angular dependence and it vanishes when the magnetic field is parallel to one of the axes that diagonalize the weak anisotropic interactions. We confirm these general properties of the magnon-pair resonance peak in the spin nematic phase by studying an S =1 bilinear-biquadratic model on the square lattice in the linear flavor-wave approximation. In addition, we argue applications to the S =1/2 frustrated ferromagnets and also the S =1/2 orthogonal dimer spin system SrCu2(BO3)2, both of which are candidate materials of spin nematics. Our theory for the antiferroquadrupolar ordered phase is consistent with many features of the magnon-pair resonance peak experimentally observed in the low

Instabilities and chaos in a kinetic equation for active nematics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shi, Xia-qing; Ma, Yu-qiang; Chaté, Hugues

2014-01-01

We study dry active nematics at the kinetic equation level, stressing the differences with the well-known Doi theory for non-active rods near thermal equilibrium. By deriving hydrodynamic equations from the kinetic equation, we show analytically that these two description levels share the same qualitative phase diagram, as defined by the linear instability limits of spatially-homogeneous solutions. In particular, we show that the ordered, homogeneous state is unstable in a region bordering the linear onset of nematic order, and is only linearly stable deeper in the ordered phase. Direct simulations of the kinetic equation reveal that its solutions are chaotic in the region of linear instability of the ordered homogeneous state. The local mechanisms for this large-scale chaos are discussed. (paper)

Optic and electro-optic investigations on SmQ, SmCA* and L phases in highly chiral compounds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Manai, M.; Gharbi, A.; Marcerou, J.P.; Nguyen, H.T.; Rouillon, J.C.

2005-01-01

Chiral molecules give rise to a large variety of mesophases. Well-known examples are cholesteric or ferroelectric smectic phases where the chirality tends to favor a macroscopic twist. Furthermore, the molecular core length (l) plays an important role on the range of the mesophases and on the temperature (T NI ) for the onset of orientational order. The tendency for T NI is to increase (going over 200 - bar C for some compounds) with increasing l. We report in this paper on a selection of compounds which have been designed in order to favor an anticlinic smectic ordering together with high chirality. As a common feature, they have a long rigid core with four benzene rings and a chiral chain (usually the same) at each end. They display a locally anisotropic liquid phase referred to as ''L phase'' in a large temperature range between T NI and the low temperature SmQ or SmC A * phase. Optical rotatory power (ORP), birefringence and electro-optic studies have been performed with these compounds

The chiral phase transition in two-flavor QCD from imaginary chemical potential

CERN Document Server

Bonati, Claudio; D'Elia, Massimo; Philipsen, Owe; Sanfilippo, Francesco

2014-01-01

We investigate the order of the finite temperature chiral symmetry restoration transition for QCD with two massless fermions, by using a novel method, based on simulating imaginary values of the quark chemical potential $\\mu=i\\mu_i,\\mu_i\\in\\mathbb{R}$. Our method exploits the fact that, for low enough quark mass $m$ and large enough chemical potential $\\mu_i$, the chiral transition is decidedly first order, then turning into crossover at a critical mass $m_c(\\mu)$. It is thus possible to determine the critical line in the $m - \\mu^2$ plane, which can be safely extrapolated to the chiral limit by taking advantage of the known tricritical indices governing its shape. We test this method with standard staggered fermions and the result of our simulations is that $m_c(\\mu=0)$ is positive, so that the phase transition at zero density is definitely first order in the chiral limit, on our coarse $N_t=4$ lattices with $a\\simeq 0.3\\,\\mathrm{fm}$.

A charge transfer complex nematic liquid crystalline gel with high electrical conductivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bhargavi, R.; Nair, Geetha G.; Krishna Prasad, S.; Majumdar, R.; Bag, Braja G.

2014-01-01

We describe the rheological, dielectric and elastic properties of a nematic liquid crystal gel created using an anthrylidene derivative of arjunolic acid, a chiral triterpenoid, obtained from the extracts of the wood of Terminalia arjuna. In this novel gel, having the electron-donor and acceptor components as minority constituents, the gelation and strengthening of charge-transfer complex (CTC) formation are seen to be occurring concomitantly. In addition to being mechanically strong with a large storage modulus, the gel with the maximized CTC exhibits Frank bend elastic constant values that approach nanonewton levels. The highlight of the study is the observation of 4–5 orders of magnitude increase in electrical conductivity for this gel, a value that is higher than even in the CT complexes of 2-d ordered columnar structures. A further important advantage of the present system over the columnar complex is that the high conductivity is seen for ac probing also, and owing to the nematic nature can be switched between its anisotropic limits. Some of these features are ascribed to a specific molecular packing architecture, which reduces the trapping of the charge carriers.

A charge transfer complex nematic liquid crystalline gel with high electrical conductivity

Science.gov (United States)

Bhargavi, R.; Nair, Geetha G.; Krishna Prasad, S.; Majumdar, R.; Bag, Braja G.

2014-10-01

We describe the rheological, dielectric and elastic properties of a nematic liquid crystal gel created using an anthrylidene derivative of arjunolic acid, a chiral triterpenoid, obtained from the extracts of the wood of Terminalia arjuna. In this novel gel, having the electron-donor and acceptor components as minority constituents, the gelation and strengthening of charge-transfer complex (CTC) formation are seen to be occurring concomitantly. In addition to being mechanically strong with a large storage modulus, the gel with the maximized CTC exhibits Frank bend elastic constant values that approach nanonewton levels. The highlight of the study is the observation of 4-5 orders of magnitude increase in electrical conductivity for this gel, a value that is higher than even in the CT complexes of 2-d ordered columnar structures. A further important advantage of the present system over the columnar complex is that the high conductivity is seen for ac probing also, and owing to the nematic nature can be switched between its anisotropic limits. Some of these features are ascribed to a specific molecular packing architecture, which reduces the trapping of the charge carriers.

Chiral phase transition and Anderson localization in the instanton liquid model for QCD

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garcia-Garcia, Antonio M.; Osborn, James C.

2006-01-01

We study the spectrum and eigenmodes of the QCD Dirac operator in a gauge background given by an instanton liquid model (ILM) at temperatures around the chiral phase transition. Generically we find the Dirac eigenvectors become more localized as the temperature is increased. At the chiral phase transition, both the low lying eigenmodes and the spectrum of the QCD Dirac operator undergo a transition to localization similar to the one observed in a disordered conductor. This suggests that Anderson localization is the fundamental mechanism driving the chiral phase transition. We also find an additional temperature dependent mobility edge (separating delocalized from localized eigenstates) in the bulk of the spectrum which moves toward lower eigenvalues as the temperature is increased. In both regions, the origin and the bulk, the transition to localization exhibits features of a 3D Anderson transition including multifractal eigenstates and spectral properties that are well described by critical statistics. Similar results are obtained in both the quenched and the unquenched case though the critical temperature in the unquenched case is lower. Finally we argue that our findings are not in principle restricted to the ILM approximation and may also be found in lattice simulations

Chiral topological phases from artificial neural networks

Science.gov (United States)

Kaubruegger, Raphael; Pastori, Lorenzo; Budich, Jan Carl

2018-05-01

Motivated by recent progress in applying techniques from the field of artificial neural networks (ANNs) to quantum many-body physics, we investigate to what extent the flexibility of ANNs can be used to efficiently study systems that host chiral topological phases such as fractional quantum Hall (FQH) phases. With benchmark examples, we demonstrate that training ANNs of restricted Boltzmann machine type in the framework of variational Monte Carlo can numerically solve FQH problems to good approximation. Furthermore, we show by explicit construction how n -body correlations can be kept at an exact level with ANN wave functions exhibiting polynomial scaling with power n in system size. Using this construction, we analytically represent the paradigmatic Laughlin wave function as an ANN state.

On the chiral phase transition in the linear sigma model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tran Huu Phat; Nguyen Tuan Anh; Le Viet Hoa

2003-01-01

The Cornwall- Jackiw-Tomboulis (CJT) effective action for composite operators at finite temperature is used to investigate the chiral phase transition within the framework of the linear sigma model as the low-energy effective model of quantum chromodynamics (QCD). A new renormalization prescription for the CJT effective action in the Hartree-Fock (HF) approximation is proposed. A numerical study, which incorporates both thermal and quantum effect, shows that in this approximation the phase transition is of first order. However, taking into account the higher-loop diagrams contribution the order of phase transition is unchanged. (author)

Thin film polarizer and color filter based on photo-polymerizable nematic liquid crystal

Science.gov (United States)

Mohammadimasoudi, Mohammad; Neyts, Kristiaan; Beeckman, Jeroen

2015-03-01

We present a method to fabricate a thin film color filter based on a mixture of photo-polymerizable liquid crystal and chiral dopant. A chiral nematic liquid crystal layer reflects light for a certain wavelength interval Δλ (= Δn.P) with the period and Δn the birefringence of the liquid crystal. The reflection band is determined by the chiral dopant concentration. The bandwidth is limited to 80nm and the reflectance is at most 50% for unpolarized incident light. The thin color filter is interesting for innovative applications like polarizer-free reflective displays, polarization-independent devices, stealth technologies, or smart switchable reflective windows to control solar light and heat. The reflected light has strong color saturation without absorption because of the sharp band edges. A thin film polarizer is developed by using a mixture of photo-polymerizable liquid crystal and color-neutral dye. The fabricated thin film absorbs light that is polarized parallel to the c axis of the LC. The obtained polarization ratio is 80% for a film of only 12 μm. The thin film polarizer and the color filter feature excellent film characteristics without domains and can be detached from the substrate which is useful for e.g. flexible substrates.

Chiral Magnetic Spirals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Basar, Goekce; Dunne, Gerald V.; Kharzeev, Dmitri E.

2010-01-01

We argue that the presence of a very strong magnetic field in the chirally broken phase induces inhomogeneous expectation values, of a spiral nature along the magnetic field axis, for the currents of charge and chirality, when there is finite baryon density or an imbalance between left and right chiralities. This 'chiral magnetic spiral' is a gapless excitation transporting the currents of (i) charge (at finite chirality), and (ii) chirality (at finite baryon density) along the direction of the magnetic field. In both cases it also induces in the transverse directions oscillating currents of charge and chirality. In heavy ion collisions, the chiral magnetic spiral possibly provides contributions both to the out-of-plane and the in-plane dynamical charge fluctuations recently observed at BNL RHIC.

A theory of the nematic liquid crystals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hazoume, R.P.

1980-09-01

A theory of the nematic phase of liquid crystals is presented, taking explicit account of the geometry of the molecule. The three broad peaks of the neutron scattering structure factor are explained. Expressions of the order parameters (average value of Psub(2L)) are given and they can be extracted by comparison with scattering experiments. (author)

Molecular orientational re-ordering and the transformation of a Landau second order phase transition to first order in a nematic liquid crystal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ponce, T.C.

1988-08-01

We consider the nature of the nematic to isotropic phase transition in terms of the molecular orientational re-ordering, expressed by the variation of the order parameter, s, in the light of Landau's theory of second order phase transition. Then, we show how the de Gennes modification to the Landau thermodynamic potential converts the transition to first order which is in better agreement with the experimental observations. (author). 9 refs, 2 figs, 1 tab

Enhancement of the nonlinear optical absorption of the E7 liquid crystal at the nematic-isotropic transition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gomez, S.L.; Lenart, V.M.; Bechtold, I.H.; Figueiredo Neto, A.M.

2012-01-01

We present an experimental study of the nonlinear optical absorption of the eutectic mixture E7 at the nematic-isotropic phase transition by the Z-scan technique, under continuous-wave excitation at 532 nm. In the nematic region, the effective nonlinear optical coefficient P, which vanishes in the isotropic phase, is negative for the extraordinary beam and positive for an ordinary beam. The parameter SNL, whose definition in terms of the nonlinear absorption coefficient follows the definition of the optical-order parameter in terms of the linear dichroic ratio, behaves like an order parameter with critical exponent 0.22 ± 0.05, in good agreement with the tricritical hypothesis for the nematic isotropic transition. (author)

Chirality-Controlled Growth of Single-Wall Carbon Nanotubes Using Vapor Phase Epitaxy: Mechanistic Understanding and Scalable Production

Science.gov (United States)

2016-09-15

AFRL-AFOSR-VA-TR-2016-0319 Chirality -Controlled Growth of Single-Wall Carbon Nanotubes Using Vapor Phase Epitaxy: Mechanistic Understanding and...TELEPHONE NUMBER (Include area code) DISTRIBUTION A: Distribution approved for public release. 15-06-2016 final Jun 2014 - Jun 2016 Chirality ...for Public Release; Distribution is Unlimited. In this report, we present our efforts in establishing a novel and effective approach for chirality

Influence of the nematic order on the rheology and conformation of stretched comb-like liquid crystalline polymers

Science.gov (United States)

Fourmaux-Demange, V.; Brûlet, A.; Boué, F.; Davidson, P.; Keller, P.; Cotton, J. P.

2000-04-01

We have studied the rheology and the conformation of stretched comb-like liquid-crystalline polymers. Both the influence of the comb-like structure and the specific effect of the nematic interaction on the dynamics are investigated. For this purpose, two isomers of a comb-like polymetacrylate polymer, of well-defined molecular weights, were synthesized: one displays a nematic phase over a wide range of temperature, the other one has only an isotropic phase. Even with high degrees of polymerization N, between 40 and 1000, the polymer chains studied were not entangled. The stress-strain curves during the stretching and relaxation processes show differences between the isotropic and nematic comb-like polymers. They suggest that, in the nematic phase, the chain dynamics is more cooperative than for a usual linear polymer. Small-angle neutron scattering has been used in order to determine the evolution of the chain conformation after stretching, as a function of the duration of relaxation t_r. The conformation can be described with two parameters only: λ_p, the global deformation of the polymer chain, and p, the number of statistical units of locally relaxed sub-chains. For the comb-like polymer, the chain deformation is pseudo-affine: λ_p is always smaller than λ (the deformation ratio of the whole sample). In the isotropic phase, λ_p has a constant value, while p increases as t_r. This latter behavior is not that expected for non-entangled chains, in which p varies as {t_r}^{1/2} (Rouse model). In the nematic phase, λ_p decreases as a stretched exponential function of t_r, while p remains constant. The dynamics of the comb-like polymers is discussed in terms of living clusters from which junctions are produced by interactions between side chains. The nematic interaction increases the lifetime of these junctions and, strikingly, the relaxation is the same at all scales of the whole polymer chain.

Chiral phase from three-spin interactions in an optical lattice

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

D'Cruz, Christian; Pachos, Jiannis K.

2005-01-01

A spin-1/2 chain model that includes three-spin interactions can effectively describe the dynamics of two species of bosons trapped in an optical lattice with a triangular-ladder configuration. A perturbative theoretical approach and numerical study of its ground state is performed that reveals a rich variety of phases and criticalities. We identify phases with periodicity one, two, or three, as well as critical points that belong in the same universality class as the Ising or the three-state Potts model. We establish a range of parameters, corresponding to a large degeneracy present between phases with period 2 and 3, that nests a gapless incommensurate chiral phase

Computer simulation study of the nematic-vapour interface in the Gay-Berne model

Science.gov (United States)

Rull, Luis F.; Romero-Enrique, José Manuel

2017-06-01

We present computer simulations of the vapour-nematic interface of the Gay-Berne model. We considered situations which correspond to either prolate or oblate molecules. We determine the anchoring of the nematic phase and correlate it with the intermolecular potential parameters. On the other hand, we evaluate the surface tension associated to this interface. We find a corresponding states law for the surface tension dependence on the temperature, valid for both prolate and oblate molecules.

Fluorinated tolane and dioxane liquid crystals for ferroelectric display applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chu Chuan Dong

1994-05-01

The aim of this thesis was to make low viscosity, low birefringence, large negative dielectric anisotropy liquid-crystalline materials for use in ferroelectric liquid crystal mixtures to be used in high speed display devices. Saturated heterocyclic rings, dioxane and dioxaborinane, were chosen separately to be linked with a difluorophenyl system as the main component of the mesogenic core. In order to optimise the physical properties and to reduce the cost of the chiral materials, the strategy of making dopant-host mixtures was used. In addition to the difluorobiphenyl dioxaborinanes, three types of compounds were prepared possessing difluorophenyl rings and a dioxane ring: (i) difluorophenyl dioxanes and difluorobiphenyl dioxanes with the fluorinated ring in the middle of or at the end of the core; (ii) a number of compounds with linking groups, dimethylene (CH 2 CH 2 ), ester (COO), ethenylene (CH=CH) and ethynylene (C≡C) between adjacent benzene rings or between a dioxane ring and a benzene ring; (iii) difluorobiphenyl dioxanes possessing a chiral aliphatic chain were chosen as chiral dopants whose structure matched those of the host materials. Other compounds which have been synthesised are the difluorotolanes and difluorophenyl-ethynyl compounds, which were targeted because of the low viscosity of the tolane compounds and the negative dielectric anisotropy of the difluorophenyl ring. Fifty-six 2-(2,3-difluorobiphenyl-4'-yl)-1,3-dioxanes (n = 5-9, m = 5-10 or O5-O9; or n = 9, R' = OCH 2 CH(CH 3 )C 4 H 9 ) were prepared. Smectic C and nematic phases were observed for most of the alkyl-alkoxy homologues. Conversely, most of the dialkyl compounds exhibited smectic C, smectic A and nematic phases. The birefringences (Δn) and the dielectric anisotropies (Δε) of a number of materials have been determined. Three 2-(2,3-difluorobiphenyl-4-yl)-5-alkyl-1,3-dioxanes (n = 7, m = O7-O9) were prepared and only exhibit nematic phases. Two difluorophenyl dioxanes were

Low energy pion-pion phase shifts from chiral perturbation theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Borges, J. Sa; Barbosa, J. Soares; Oguri, V.

1997-01-01

The low energy pion-pion S- and P- experimental phase-shifts are fitted with chiral perturbation theory (Ch PT) amplitude. The low energy pion-pion S- and P- experimental phase-shifts. The parameters l 1 and l 2 of the one loop corrected amplitude are fixed and the corresponding values of the scattering lengths are calculated. We propose that the present method is the best way to fix Ch P T parameters. The unitarization program of current algebra is also discussed. (author)

Instanton-dyon ensembles reproduce deconfinement and chiral restoration phase transitions

Science.gov (United States)

Shuryak, Edward

2018-03-01

Paradigm shift in gauge topology at finite temperatures, from the instantons to their constituents - instanton-dyons - has recently lead to studies of their ensembles and very significant advances. Like instantons, they have fermionic zero modes, and their collectivization at suffciently high density explains the chiral symmetry breaking transition. Unlike instantons, these objects have electric and magnetic charges. Simulations of the instanton-dyon ensembles have demonstrated that their back reaction on the Polyakov line modifies its potential and generates the deconfinement phase transition. For the Nc = 2 gauge theory the transition is second order, for QCD-like theory with Nc = 2 and two light quark flavors Nf = 2 both transitions are weak crossovers at happening at about the same condition. Introduction of quark-flavor-dependent periodicity phases (imaginary chemical potentials) leads to drastic changes in both transitions. In particulaly, in the so called Z(Nc) - QCD model the deconfinement transforms to strong first order transition, while the chiral condensate does not disappear at all. The talk will also cover more detailed studies of correlations between the dyons, effective eta' mass and other screening masses.

Symmetry breaking in nematic liquid crystals: analogy with cosmology and magnetism.

Science.gov (United States)

Repnik, R; Ranjkesh, A; Simonka, V; Ambrozic, M; Bradac, Z; Kralj, S

2013-10-09

Universal behavior related to continuous symmetry breaking in nematic liquid crystals is studied using Brownian molecular dynamics. A three-dimensional lattice system of rod-like objects interacting via the Lebwohl-Lasher interaction is considered. We test the applicability of predictions originally derived in cosmology and magnetism. In the first part we focus on coarsening dynamics following the temperature driven isotropic-nematic phase transition for different quench rates. The behavior in the early coarsening regime supports predictions made originally by Kibble in cosmology. For fast enough quenches, symmetry breaking and causality give rise to a dense tangle of defects. When the degree of orientational ordering is large enough, well defined protodomains characterized by a single average domain length are formed. With time subcritical domains gradually vanish and supercritical domains grow with time, exhibiting a universal scaling law. In the second part of the paper we study the impact of random-field-type disorder on a range of ordering in the (symmetry broken) nematic phase. We demonstrate that short-range order is observed even for a minute concentration of impurities, giving rise to disorder in line with the Imry-Ma theorem prediction only for the appropriate history of systems.

Chiral superconductors.

Science.gov (United States)

Kallin, Catherine; Berlinsky, John

2016-05-01

Chiral superconductivity is a striking quantum phenomenon in which an unconventional superconductor spontaneously develops an angular momentum and lowers its free energy by eliminating nodes in the gap. It is a topologically non-trivial state and, as such, exhibits distinctive topological modes at surfaces and defects. In this paper we discuss the current theory and experimental results on chiral superconductors, focusing on two of the best-studied systems, Sr2RuO4, which is thought to be a chiral triplet p-wave superconductor, and UPt3, which has two low-temperature superconducting phases (in zero magnetic field), the lower of which is believed to be chiral triplet f-wave. Other systems that may exhibit chiral superconductivity are also discussed. Key signatures of chiral superconductivity are surface currents and chiral Majorana modes, Majorana states in vortex cores, and the possibility of half-flux quantum vortices in the case of triplet pairing. Experimental evidence for chiral superconductivity from μSR, NMR, strain, polar Kerr effect and Josephson tunneling experiments are discussed.

Directed self-assembly of liquid crystalline blue-phases into ideal single-crystals

Science.gov (United States)

Martínez-González, Jose A.; Li, Xiao; Sadati, Monirosadat; Zhou, Ye; Zhang, Rui; Nealey, Paul F.; de Pablo, Juan J.

2017-06-01

Chiral nematic liquid crystals are known to form blue phases--liquid states of matter that exhibit ordered cubic arrangements of topological defects. Blue-phase specimens, however, are generally polycrystalline, consisting of randomly oriented domains that limit their performance in applications. A strategy that relies on nano-patterned substrates is presented here for preparation of stable, macroscopic single-crystal blue-phase materials. Different template designs are conceived to exert control over different planes of the blue-phase lattice orientation with respect to the underlying substrate. Experiments are then used to demonstrate that it is indeed possible to create stable single-crystal blue-phase domains with the desired orientation over large regions. These results provide a potential avenue to fully exploit the electro-optical properties of blue phases, which have been hindered by the existence of grain boundaries.

Self-regulation in self-propelled nematic fluids.

Science.gov (United States)

Baskaran, A; Marchetti, M C

2012-09-01

We consider the hydrodynamic theory of an active fluid of self-propelled particles with nematic aligning interactions. This class of materials has polar symmetry at the microscopic level, but forms macrostates of nematic symmetry. We highlight three key features of the dynamics. First, as in polar active fluids, the control parameter for the order-disorder transition, namely the density, is dynamically convected by the order parameter via active currents. The resulting dynamical self-regulation of the order parameter is a generic property of active fluids and destabilizes the uniform nematic state near the mean-field transition. Secondly, curvature-driven currents render the system unstable deep in the nematic state, as found previously. Finally, and unique to self-propelled nematics, nematic order induces local polar order that in turn leads to the growth of density fluctuations. We propose this as a possible mechanism for the smectic order of polar clusters seen in numerical simulations.

Rapid purification of diastereoisomers from Piper kadsura using supercritical fluid chromatography with chiral stationary phases.

Science.gov (United States)

Xin, Huaxia; Dai, Zhuoshun; Cai, Jianfeng; Ke, Yanxiong; Shi, Hui; Fu, Qing; Jin, Yu; Liang, Xinmiao

2017-08-04

Supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) with chiral stationary phases (CSPs) is an advanced solution for the separation of achiral compounds in Piper kadsura. Analogues and stereoisomers are abundant in natural products, but there are obstacles in separation using conventional method. In this paper, four lignan diastereoisomers, (-)-Galbelgin, (-)-Ganschisandrin, Galgravin and (-)-Veraguensin, from Piper kadsura were separated and purified by chiral SFC. Purification strategy was designed, considering of the compound enrichment, sample purity and purification throughput. Two-step achiral purification method on chiral preparative columns with stacked automated injections was developed. Unconventional mobile phase modifier dichloromethane (DCM) was applied to improve the sample solubility. Four diastereoisomers was prepared at the respective weight of 103.1mg, 10.0mg, 152.3mg and 178.6mg from 710mg extract with the purity of greater than 98%. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Kinetics of the chiral phase transition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hees, Hendrik van [Johann-Wolfgang-Goethe-Universitaet Frankfurt, Institut fuer Theoretische Physik, Frankfurt (Germany); Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies (FIAS), Frankfurt (Germany); Wesp, Christian; Meistrenko, Alex; Greiner, Carsten [Johann-Wolfgang-Goethe-Universitaet Frankfurt, Institut fuer Theoretische Physik, Frankfurt (Germany)

2016-07-01

We simulate the kinetics of the chiral phase transition in hot and dense strongly interacting matter within a novel kinetic-theory approach. Employing an effective linear σ model for quarks, σ mesons, and pions we treat the quarks within a test-particle ansatz for solving the Boltzmann transport equation and the mesons in terms of classical fields. The decay-recombination processes like σ <-> anti q+q are treated using a kind of wave-particle dualism using the exact conservation of energy and momentum. After demonstrating the correct thermodynamic limit for particles and fields in a ''box calculation'' we apply the simulation to the dynamics of an expanding fireball similar to the medium created in ultrarelativistic heavy-ion collisions.

Chiral spiral induced by a strong magnetic field

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abuki Hiroaki

2016-01-01

Full Text Available We study the modification of the chiral phase structure of QCD due to an external magnetic field. We first demonstrate how the effect of magnetic field can systematically be incorporated into a generalized Ginzburg-Landau framework. We then analyze the phase structure in the vicinity of the chiral critical point. In the chiral limit, the effect is found to be so drastic that it brings a “continent” of chiral spiral in the phase diagram, by which the chiral tricritical point is totally washed out. This is the case no matter how small the intensity of magnetic field is. On the other hand, the current quark mass protects the chiral critical point from a weak magnetic field. However, the critical point will eventually be covered by the chiral spiral phase as the magnetic field grows.

Depletion interactions in lyotropic nematics

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schoot, van der P.P.A.M.

2000-01-01

A theoretical study of depletion interactions between pairs of small, globular colloids dispersed in a lyotropic nematic of hard, rodlike particles is presented. We find that both the strength and range of the interaction crucially depends on the configuration of the spheres relative to the nematic

The Optical Resolution of Chiral Tetrahedrone-type Clusters Contai- ning SCoFeM (M=Mo or W) Using High Performance Liquid Chromatography Chiral Stationary Phase

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

无

2002-01-01

Amylose tris (phenylcarbamate) chiral stationary phase (ATPC-CSP) was prepared and used for optical resolution of clusters 1 and 2. n-Hexane/2-propanol ( 99/1; v/v) were found to be the most suitable mobile phase on ATPC-CSP.

Optical transmission of nematic liquid crystal 5CB doped by single-walled and multi-walled carbon nanotubes.

Science.gov (United States)

Lisetski, L N; Fedoryako, A P; Samoilov, A N; Minenko, S S; Soskin, M S; Lebovka, N I

2014-08-01

Comparative studies of optical transmission of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), dispersed in nematic liquid crystal matrix 5CB, were carried out. The data evidence violations of Beer-Lambert-Bouguer (BLB) law both in cell thickness and concentration dependencies. The most striking is the fact that optical transmission dependencies for SWCNTs and MWCNTs were quite different in the nematic phase, but they were practically indistinguishable in the isotropic phase. Monte Carlo simulations of the impact of aggregation on direct transmission and violation of BLB law were also done. The results were discussed accounting for the tortuous shape of CNTs, their physical properties and aggregation, as well as strong impact of perturbations of the nematic 5CB structure inside coils and in the vicinity of CNT aggregates.

A simple free energy for the isotropic-nematic phase transition of rods

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tuinier, R.

2016-01-01

A free energy expression is proposed that describes the isotropic-nematic binodal concentrations of hard rods. A simple analytical form for this free energy was yet only available using a Gaussian trial function for the orientation distribution function (ODF), leading, however, to a significant

Direct visualization of phase separation between superconducting and nematic domains in Co-doped CaFe2As2 close to a first-order phase transition

Science.gov (United States)

Fente, Antón; Correa-Orellana, Alexandre; Böhmer, Anna E.; Kreyssig, Andreas; Ran, S.; Bud'ko, Sergey L.; Canfield, Paul C.; Mompean, Federico J.; García-Hernández, Mar; Munuera, Carmen; Guillamón, Isabel; Suderow, Hermann

2018-01-01

We show that biaxial strain induces alternating tetragonal superconducting and orthorhombic nematic domains in Co-substituted CaFe2As2 . We use atomic force, magnetic force, and scanning tunneling microscopy to identify the domains and characterize their properties, finding in particular that tetragonal superconducting domains are very elongated, more than several tens of micrometers long and about 30 nm wide; have the same Tc as unstrained samples; and hold vortices in a magnetic field. Thus, biaxial strain produces a phase-separated state, where each phase is equivalent to what is found on either side of the first-order phase transition between antiferromagnetic orthorhombic and superconducting tetragonal phases found in unstrained samples when changing Co concentration. Having such alternating superconducting domains separated by normal conducting domains with sizes of the order of the coherence length opens opportunities to build Josephson junction networks or vortex pinning arrays and suggests that first-order quantum phase transitions lead to nanometric-size phase separation under the influence of strain.

Holographic Chiral Magnetic Spiral

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Keun-Young; Sahoo, Bindusar; Yee, Ho-Ung

2010-06-01

We study the ground state of baryonic/axial matter at zero temperature chiral-symmetry broken phase under a large magnetic field, in the framework of holographic QCD by Sakai-Sugimoto. Our study is motivated by a recent proposal of chiral magnetic spiral phase that has been argued to be favored against previously studied phase of homogeneous distribution of axial/baryonic currents in terms of meson super-currents dictated by triangle anomalies in QCD. Our results provide an existence proof of chiral magnetic spiral in strong coupling regime via holography, at least for large axial chemical potentials, whereas we don't find the phenomenon in the case of purely baryonic chemical potential. (author)

Elliptical vortex and oblique vortex lattice in the FeSe superconductor based on the nematicity and mixed superconducting orders

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Da-Chuan; Lv, Yang-Yang; Li, Jun; Zhu, Bei-Yi; Wang, Qiang-Hua; Wang, Hua-Bing; Wu, Pei-Heng

2018-03-01

The electronic nematic phase is characterized as an ordered state of matter with rotational symmetry breaking, and has been well studied in the quantum Hall system and the high-Tc superconductors, regardless of cuprate or pnictide family. The nematic state in high-Tc systems often relates to the structural transition or electronic instability in the normal phase. Nevertheless, the electronic states below the superconducting transition temperature is still an open question. With high-resolution scanning tunneling microscope measurements, direct observation of vortex core in FeSe thin films revealed the nematic superconducting state by Song et al. Here, motivated by the experiment, we construct the extended Ginzburg-Landau free energy to describe the elliptical vortex, where a mixed s-wave and d-wave superconducting order is coupled to the nematic order. The nematic order induces the mixture of two superconducting orders and enhances the anisotropic interaction between the two superconducting orders, resulting in a symmetry breaking from C4 to C2. Consequently, the vortex cores are stretched into an elliptical shape. In the equilibrium state, the elliptical vortices assemble a lozenge-like vortex lattice, being well consistent with experimental results.

Chiral phase transition of three flavor QCD with nonzero magnetic field using standard staggered fermions

Science.gov (United States)

Tomiya, Akio; Ding, Heng-Tong; Mukherjee, Swagato; Schmidt, Christian; Wang, Xiao-Dan

2018-03-01

Lattice simulations for (2+1)-flavor QCD with external magnetic field demon-strated that the quark mass is one of the important parameters responsible for the (inverse) magnetic catalysis. We discuss the dependences of chiral condensates and susceptibilities, the Polyakov loop on the magnetic field and quark mass in three degenerate flavor QCD. The lattice simulations are performed using standard staggered fermions and the plaquette action with spatial sizes Nσ = 16 and 24 and a fixed temporal size Nτ = 4. The value of the quark masses are chosen such that the system undergoes a first order chiral phase transition and crossover with zero magnetic field. We find that in light mass regime, the quark chiral condensate undergoes magnetic catalysis in the whole temperature region and the phase transition tend to become stronger as the magnetic field increases. In crossover regime, deconfinement transition temperature is shifted by the magnetic field when quark mass ma is less than 0:4. The lattice cutoff effects are also discussed.

Floquet engineering of Haldane Chern insulators and chiral bosonic phase transitions

Science.gov (United States)

Plekhanov, Kirill; Roux, Guillaume; Le Hur, Karyn

2017-01-01

The realization of synthetic gauge fields has attracted a lot of attention recently in relation to periodically driven systems and the Floquet theory. In ultracold atom systems in optical lattices and photonic networks, this allows one to simulate exotic phases of matter such as quantum Hall phases, anomalous quantum Hall phases, and analogs of topological insulators. In this paper, we apply the Floquet theory to engineer anisotropic Haldane models on the honeycomb lattice and two-leg ladder systems. We show that these anisotropic Haldane models still possess a topologically nontrivial band structure associated with chiral edge modes. Focusing on (interacting) boson systems in s -wave bands of the lattice, we show how to engineer through the Floquet theory, a quantum phase transition (QPT) between a uniform superfluid and a Bose-Einstein condensate analog of Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov states, where bosons condense at nonzero wave vectors. We perform a Ginzburg-Landau analysis of the QPT on the graphene lattice, and compute observables such as chiral currents and the momentum distribution. The results are supported by exact diagonalization calculations and compared with those of the isotropic situation. The validity of high-frequency expansion in the Floquet theory is also tested using time-dependent simulations for various parameters of the model. Last, we show that the anisotropic choice for the effective vector potential allows a bosonization approach in equivalent ladder (strip) geometries.

Specific heat of the chiral-soliton-lattice phase in Yb(Ni0.94Cu0.06)3Al9

Science.gov (United States)

Ninomiya, Hiroki; Sato, Takaaki; Inoue, Katsuya; Ohara, Shigeo

2018-05-01

We have studied the monoaxial-chiral helimagnet YbNi3Al9 and its-substituted analogue Yb(Ni0.94Cu0.06)3Al9. These compounds belong to a chiral space group R32. In Yb(Ni0.94Cu0.06)3Al9 with the magnetic ordering temperature TM = 6.4 K , only when the magnetic field is applied perpendicular to the helical axis, the chiral soliton lattice is observed below Hc = 10 kOe . YbNi3Al9 with TM = 3.4 K exhibits a metamagnetic transition at Hc = 1 kOe in 2 K. To study the formation of chiral helimagnetic state and chiral soliton lattice, we have measured the specific heat in magnetic fields applied parallel and perpendicular to the helical axis. In zero field, with decreasing temperature, specific heat shows λ-type phase transition from paramagnetic state to chiral helimagnetic one. At the temperature where the chiral soliton lattice emerges, we have found that the specific heat shows a sharp peak. In addition, at around the crossover between paramagnetic state and forced-ferromagnetic one, a broad maximum has been observed. We have determined the magnetic phase diagrams of YbNi3Al9 and Yb(Ni0.94Cu0.06)3Al9.

The chiral phase transition for two-flavour QCD at imaginary and zero chemical potential

CERN Document Server

Bonati, Claudio; de Forcrand, Philippe; Philipsen, Owe; Sanfillippo, Francesco

2013-01-01

The chiral symmetry of QCD with two massless quark flavours gets restored in a non-analytic chiral phase transition at finite temperature and zero density. Whether this is a first-order or a second-order transition has not yet been determined unambiguously, due to the difficulties of simulating light quarks. We investigate the nature of the chiral transition as a function of quark mass and imaginary chemical potential, using staggered fermions on N_t=4 lattices. At sufficiently large imaginary chemical potential, a clear signal for a first-order transition is obtained for small masses, which weakens with decreasing imaginary chemical potential. The second-order critical line m_c(mu_i), which marks the boundary between first-order and crossover behaviour, extrapolates to a finite m_c(mu_i=0) with known critical exponents. This implies a definitely first-order transition in the chiral limit on relatively coarse, N_t=4 lattices.

Two-chiral component microemulsion EKC - chiral surfactant and chiral oil. Part 2: diethyl tartrate.

Science.gov (United States)

Kahle, Kimberly A; Foley, Joe P

2007-08-01

In this second study on dual-chirality microemulsions containing a chiral surfactant and a chiral oil, a less hydrophobic and lower interfacial tension chiral oil, diethyl tartrate, is employed (Part 1, Foley, J. P. et al.., Electrophoresis, DOI: 10.1002/elps.200600551). Six stereochemical combinations of dodecoxycarbonylvaline (DDCV: R, S, or racemic, 2.00% w/v), racemic 2-hexanol (1.65% v/v), and diethyl tartrate (D, L, or racemic, 0.88% v/v) were examined as pseudostationary phases (PSPs) for the enantioseparation of six chiral pharmaceutical compounds: pseudoephedrine, ephedrine, N-methyl ephedrine, metoprolol, synephrine, and atenolol. Average efficiencies increased with the addition of a chiral oil to R-DDCV PSP formulations. Modest improvements in resolution and enantioselectivity (alpha(enant)) were achieved with two-chiral-component systems over the one-chiral-component microemulsion. Slight enantioselective synergies were confirmed using a thermodynamic model. Results obtained in this study are compared to those obtained in Part 1 as well as those obtained with chiral MEEKC using an achiral, low-interfacial-tension oil (ethyl acetate). Dual-chirality microemulsions with the more hydrophobic oil dibutyl tartrate yielded, relative to diethyl tartrate, higher efficiencies (100,000-134,000 vs. 80,800-94,300), but lower resolution (1.64-1.91 vs. 2.08-2.21) due to lower enantioselectivities (1.060-1.067 vs. 1.078-1.081). Atenolol enantiomers could not be separated with the dibutyl tartrate-based microemulsions but were partially resolved using diethyl tartrate microemulsions. A comparable single-chirality microemulsion based on the achiral oil ethyl acetate yielded, relative to diethyl tartrate, lower efficiency (78 300 vs. 91 600), higher resolution (1.99 vs. 1.83), and similar enantioselectivities.

Non-equilibrium physics at a holographic chiral phase transition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Evans, Nick; Kim, Keun-young [Southampton Univ. (United Kingdom). School of Physics and Astronomy; Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics China, Beijing (China); Kalaydzhyan, Tigran; Kirsch, Ingo [Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Hamburg (Germany)

2010-11-15

The D3/D7 system holographically describes an N=2 gauge theory which spontaneously breaks a chiral symmetry by the formation of a quark condensate in the presence of a magnetic field. At finite temperature it displays a first order phase transition. We study out of equilibrium dynamics associated with this transition by placing probe D7 branes in a geometry describing a boost-invariant expanding or contracting plasma. We use an adiabatic approximation to track the evolution of the quark condensate in a heated system and reproduce the phase structure expected from equilibrium dynamics. We then study solutions of the full partial differential equation that describes the evolution of out of equilibrium configurations to provide a complete description of the phase transition including describing aspects of bubble formation. (orig.)

Two-chiral-component microemulsion electrokinetic chromatography-chiral surfactant and chiral oil: part 1. dibutyl tartrate.

Science.gov (United States)

Kahle, Kimberly A; Foley, Joe P

2007-06-01

The first simultaneous use of a chiral surfactant and a chiral oil for microemulsion EKC (MEEKC) is reported. Six stereochemical combinations of dodecoxycarbonylvaline (DDCV: R, S, or racemic, 2.00% w/v), racemic 2-hexanol (1.65% v/v), and dibutyl tartrate (D, L, or racemic, 1.23% v/v) were examined as chiral pseudostationary phases (PSPs) for the separation of six pairs of pharmaceutical enantiomers: pseudoephedrine, ephedrine, N-methyl ephedrine, metoprolol, synephrine, and atenolol. Subtle differences were observed for three chromatographic figures of merit (alpha(enant), alpha(meth), k) among the chiral microemulsions; a moderate difference was observed for efficiency (N) and elution range. Dual-chirality microemulsions provided both the largest and smallest enantioselectivities, due to small positive and negative synergies between the chiral microemulsion components. For the ephedrine family of compounds, dual-chiral microemulsions with surfactant and oil in opposite stereochemical configurations provided higher enantioselectivities than the single-chiral component microemulsion (RXX), whereas dual-chiral microemulsions with surfactant and oil in the same stereochemical configurations provided lower enantioselectivities than RXX. Slight to moderate enantioselective synergies were confirmed using a thermodynamic model. Efficiencies observed with microemulsions comprised of racemic dibutyl tartrate or dibutyl-D-tartrate were significantly higher than those obtained with dibutyl-L-tartrate, with an average difference in plate count of about 25 000. Finally, one two-chiral-component microemulsion (RXS) provided significantly better resolution than the remaining one- and two-chiral-component microemulsions for the ephedrine-based compounds, but only slightly better or equivalent resolution for non-ephedrine compounds.

Dynamics of Active Nematic Liquid Crystals

Science.gov (United States)

DeCamp, Stephen J.

/s) while -1/2 defects are passive Brownian-like particles which receive random kicks by their +1/2 counterparts. Surprisingly, we discover a previously unknown phase in which motile +1/2 defects obtain nematic orientational order whereupon they have equal probability of pointing along a single axis in the sample. Our experiments show that the preferred direction of defect alignment is independent of the boundary conditions suggesting that it is the result of spontaneous symmetry breaking. We find that the extent of the alignment is continuously tuned from essentially isotropic to highly aligned by varying the thickness of the quasi-2D microtubule film. Interestingly, the order and alignment of defects, which is accompanied by nematic order of the constituent microtubules, persists for the sample lifetime (many hours). Finally, we assemble the 2D microtubule-based active nematic liquid crystal onto the inner leaflet of lipid bilayer vesicles. The activity drives the formation of 4x +1/2 defects which subsequently stream across the inner surface of the vesicle. The defects oscillate between a tetrahedral orientation and a state in which they reside on the great circle of the sphere with a periodicity that is directly tunable by varying ATP concentration. Remarkably, the activity of the nematic can drive large shape deformations of the vesicle producing filopodia-like protrusions.

Current-induced rotational torques in the skyrmion lattice phase of chiral magnets

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Everschor, K.; Garst, M.; Duine, R.A.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/304830127; Rosch, A.

2011-01-01

In chiral magnets without inversion symmetry, the magnetic structure can form a lattice of magnetic whirl lines, a two-dimensional skyrmion lattice, stabilized by spin-orbit interactions in a small range of temperatures and magnetic fields. The twist of the magnetization within this phase gives rise

Direct and inverted nematic dispersions for soft matter photonics.

Science.gov (United States)

Muševič, I; Skarabot, M; Humar, M

2011-07-20

General properties and recent developments in the field of nematic colloids and emulsions are discussed. The origin and nature of pair colloidal interactions in the nematic colloids are explained and an overview of the stable colloidal 2D crystalline structures and superstructures discovered so far is given. The nature and role of topological defects in the nematic colloids is discussed, with an emphasis on recently discovered entangled colloidal structures. Applications of inverted nematic emulsions and binding force mechanisms in nematic colloids for soft matter photonic devices are discussed.

Non-linear optical measurement of the twist elastic constant in thermotropic and DNA lyotropic chiral nematics

OpenAIRE

Lucchetti, Liana; Fraccia, Tommaso P.; Ciciulla, Fabrizio; Bellini, Tommaso

2017-01-01

Throughout the whole history of liquid crystals science, the balancing of intrinsic elasticity with coupling to external forces has been the key strategy for most application and investigation. While the coupling of the optical field to the nematic director is at the base of a wealth of thoroughly described optical effects, a significant variety of geometries and materials have not been considered yet. Here we show that by adopting a simple cell geometry and measuring the optically induced bi...

Temperature Driven Topological Switch in 1T'-MoTe2 and Strain Induced Nematicity in NaFeAs

Science.gov (United States)

Berger, Ayelet Denise Notis

Quasiparticle interference (QPI) is a powerful technique within Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (STM) that is used to probe the electronic bandstructure of materials. This thesis presents two examples using QPI to measure the bandstructure in materials with exotic electronic states that can be tuned via outside parameters (temperature and strain). In Part I of the thesis, we discuss the temperature dependence of Fermi Arcs in 1T'-MoTe 2, and then in Part II, the strain dependent nematic state in NaFeAs. The recent discovery of Weyl semimetals has introduced a new family of materials with topologically protected electronic properties and potential applications due to their anomalous transport effects. Even more useful is a Weyl semimetal that can be turned "on" and "off," switching between a topological and trivial state. One possible material is MoTe2, which undergoes a phase transition at 240K. This thesis consists of experiments using Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (STM) and Spectroscopy (STS) at different temperatures to visualize changes in the electronic bandstructure of MoTe2 across the topological phase transition. We show that a signature of topologically protected Fermi Arcs is present at low temperatures but disappears at room temperature, in the trivial phase. We include an in-depth discussion of how to account for thermal effects when comparing these two types of measurements. In Part II, we discuss strain induced nematicity in NaFeAs, an iron pnictide. Nematic fluctuations and spin correlations play an important role in the phase diagram of the iron pnictides, a family of unconventional superconductors. Illuminating the mechanism behind this symmetry breaking is key to understanding the superconducting state. Previous work has shown that nematicity in the iron pnictides responds strongly to applied strain [1, 2]. In this thesis, I present results from a new experimental technique, elasto-scanning tunneling microscopy (E-STM), which combines in situ strain

A Review on Chiral Chromatography and its Application to the ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

MoZarD

amounts of material and is for measuring the relative proportions of ... the stationary phase must themselves be made chiral, giving differing ... electrophoretic medium that change it to chiral mobile phase (Eliel, et ... column containing a chiral stationary phase is also called a chiral ... densitometry, and a TLC method for the.

(α,η) phase diagrams in tilted chiral smectics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rjili, M.; Marcerou, J.P.; Gharbi, A.; Othman, T.

2013-01-01

The polymorphism of tilted chiral smectics liquid crystals is incredibly rich and encompasses many subphases such as SmC A ⁎ ; SmC Fi1 ⁎ ; SmC Fi2 ⁎ ; SmC ⁎ ; SmC α ⁎ . The continuum theory established by Marcerou (2010) is used to derive an expression for the free energy density of those subphases. The minimization of this free energy is obtained through a combination of analytical and numerical methods. It leads to a phase diagram built in the (α,η) plane where α is local angular parameter and η describes the variation of the temperature. From this graphical representation, many experimentally observed phase sequences of ferroelectric liquid crystals can be explained, even them including subphases which were recently observed like the SmC 5 ⁎ and the SmC 6 ⁎ ones. However, it should be emphasized that the details of predicted phase diagram are strongly dependent on the compound studied.

Measuring order in disordered systems and disorder in ordered systems: Random matrix theory for isotropic and nematic liquid crystals and its perspective on pseudo-nematic domains

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Yan; Stratt, Richard M.

2018-05-01

Surprisingly long-ranged intermolecular correlations begin to appear in isotropic (orientationally disordered) phases of liquid crystal forming molecules when the temperature or density starts to close in on the boundary with the nematic (ordered) phase. Indeed, the presence of slowly relaxing, strongly orientationally correlated, sets of molecules under putatively disordered conditions ("pseudo-nematic domains") has been apparent for some time from light-scattering and optical-Kerr experiments. Still, a fully microscopic characterization of these domains has been lacking. We illustrate in this paper how pseudo-nematic domains can be studied in even relatively small computer simulations by looking for order-parameter tensor fluctuations much larger than one would expect from random matrix theory. To develop this idea, we show that random matrix theory offers an exact description of how the probability distribution for liquid-crystal order parameter tensors converges to its macroscopic-system limit. We then illustrate how domain properties can be inferred from finite-size-induced deviations from these random matrix predictions. A straightforward generalization of time-independent random matrix theory also allows us to prove that the analogous random matrix predictions for the time dependence of the order-parameter tensor are similarly exact in the macroscopic limit, and that relaxation behavior of the domains can be seen in the breakdown of the finite-size scaling required by that random-matrix theory.

Acylation of Chiral Alcohols: A Simple Procedure for Chiral GC Analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mireia Oromí-Farrús

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The use of iodine as a catalyst and either acetic or trifluoroacetic acid as a derivatizing reagent for determining the enantiomeric composition of acyclic and cyclic aliphatic chiral alcohols was investigated. Optimal conditions were selected according to the molar ratio of alcohol to acid, the reaction time, and the reaction temperature. Afterwards, chiral stability of chiral carbons was studied. Although no isomerization was observed when acetic acid was used, partial isomerization was detected with the trifluoroacetic acid. A series of chiral alcohols of a widely varying structural type were then derivatized with acetic acid using the optimal conditions. The resolution of the enantiomeric esters and the free chiral alcohols was measured using a capillary gas chromatograph equipped with a CP Chirasil-DEX CB column. The best resolutions were obtained with 2-pentyl acetates (α=3.00 and 2-hexyl acetates (α=1.95. This method provides a very simple and efficient experimental workup procedure for analyzing chiral alcohols by chiral-phase GC.

Acylation of Chiral Alcohols: A Simple Procedure for Chiral GC Analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Oromí-Farrús, Mireia; Torres, Mercè; Canela, Ramon

2012-01-01

The use of iodine as a catalyst and either acetic or trifluoroacetic acid as a derivatizing reagent for determining the enantiomeric composition of acyclic and cyclic aliphatic chiral alcohols was investigated. Optimal conditions were selected according to the molar ratio of alcohol to acid, the reaction time, and the reaction temperature. Afterwards, chiral stability of chiral carbons was studied. Although no isomerization was observed when acetic acid was used, partial isomerization was detected with the trifluoroacetic acid. A series of chiral alcohols of a widely varying structural type were then derivatized with acetic acid using the optimal conditions. The resolution of the enantiomeric esters and the free chiral alcohols was measured using a capillary gas chromatograph equipped with a CP Chirasil-DEX CB column. The best resolutions were obtained with 2-pentyl acetates (α = 3.00) and 2-hexyl acetates (α = 1.95). This method provides a very simple and efficient experimental workup procedure for analyzing chiral alcohols by chiral-phase GC.

Symmetry, structure, and dynamics of monoaxial chiral magnets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Togawa, Yoshihiko; Kousaka, Yusuke; Inoue, Katsuya; Kishine, Jun-ichiro

2016-01-01

Nontrivial spin orders with magnetic chirality emerge in a particular class of magnetic materials with structural chirality, which are frequently referred to as chiral magnets. Various interesting physical properties are expected to be induced in chiral magnets through the coupling of chiral magnetic orders with conduction electrons and electromagnetic fields. One promising candidate for achieving these couplings is a chiral spin soliton lattice. Here, we review recent experimental observations mainly carried out on the monoaxial chiral magnetic crystal CrNb_3S_6 via magnetic imaging using electron, neutron, and X-ray beams and magnetoresistance measurements, together with the strategy for synthesizing chiral magnetic materials and underlying theoretical backgrounds. The chiral soliton lattice appears under a magnetic field perpendicular to the chiral helical axis and is very robust and stable with phase coherence on a macroscopic length scale. The tunable and topological nature of the chiral soliton lattice gives rise to nontrivial physical properties. Indeed, it is demonstrated that the interlayer magnetoresistance scales to the soliton density, which plays an essential role as an order parameter in chiral soliton lattice formation, and becomes quantized with the reduction of the system size. These interesting features arising from macroscopic phase coherence unique to the chiral soliton lattice will lead to the exploration of routes to a new paradigm for applications in spin electronics using spin phase coherence. (author)

Optics of twisted nematic and supertwisted nematic liquid-crystal displays

Science.gov (United States)

Leenhouts, F.; Schadt, M.

1986-11-01

For the first time calculations of the off-state transmission of twisted nematic liquid-crystal displays (LCD's) are presented which exhibit twist angles greater than the conventional 90 °. The transmission has been calculated using a treatment introduced by Priestley. In addition, the CIE (Commission Internationale d'Eclairage) color coordinates were evaluated which, together with the brightness, determine the optical appearance of an LCD. The finite efficiency of the polarizers was taken into account. The results are compared with those obtained for conventional 90 ° twisted nematic LCD's. From the calculations follow the conditions required to obtain optimal contrast and steep electro-optical characteristics in 180 ° supertwisted LCD's designed for high information content applications.

Oriented circular dichroism analysis of chiral surface-anchored metal-organic frameworks grown by liquid-phase epitaxy and upon loading with chiral guest compounds

KAUST Repository

Gu, Zhigang

2014-06-17

Oriented circular dichroism (OCD) is explored and successfully applied to investigate chiral surface-anchored metal-organic frameworks (SURMOFs) based on camphoric acid (D- and Lcam) with the composition [Cu2(Dcam) 2x(Lcam)2-2x(dabco)]n (dabco=1,4-diazabicyclo- [2.2.2]-octane). The three-dimensional chiral SURMOFs with high-quality orientation were grown on quartz glass plates by using a layer-by-layer liquid-phase epitaxy method. The growth orientation, as determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD), could be switched between the [001] and [110] direction by using either OH- or COOH-terminated substrates. These SURMOFs were characterized by using OCD, which confirmed the ratio as well as the orientation of the enantiomeric linker molecules. Theoretical computations demonstrate that the OCD band intensities of the enantiopure [Cu2(Dcam)2(dabco)] n grown in different orientations are a direct result of the anisotropic nature of the chiral SURMOFs. Finally, the enantiopure [Cu 2(Dcam)2(dabco)]n and [Cu2(Lcam) 2(dabco)]n SURMOFs were loaded with the two chiral forms of ethyl lactate [(+)-ethyl-D-lactate and (-)-ethyl-L-lactate)]. An enantioselective enrichment of >60 % was observed by OCD when the chiral host scaffold was loaded from the racemic mixture. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Oriented circular dichroism analysis of chiral surface-anchored metal-organic frameworks grown by liquid-phase epitaxy and upon loading with chiral guest compounds

KAUST Repository

Gu, Zhigang; Bü rck, Jochen; Bihlmeier, Angela; Liu, Jinxuan; Shekhah, Osama; Weidler, Peter G.; Azucena, Carlos; Wang, Zhengbang; Heiß ler, Stefan; Gliemann, Hartmut; Klopper, Wim; Ulrich, Anne S.; Wö ll, Christof H.

2014-01-01

Oriented circular dichroism (OCD) is explored and successfully applied to investigate chiral surface-anchored metal-organic frameworks (SURMOFs) based on camphoric acid (D- and Lcam) with the composition [Cu2(Dcam) 2x(Lcam)2-2x(dabco)]n (dabco=1,4-diazabicyclo- [2.2.2]-octane). The three-dimensional chiral SURMOFs with high-quality orientation were grown on quartz glass plates by using a layer-by-layer liquid-phase epitaxy method. The growth orientation, as determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD), could be switched between the [001] and [110] direction by using either OH- or COOH-terminated substrates. These SURMOFs were characterized by using OCD, which confirmed the ratio as well as the orientation of the enantiomeric linker molecules. Theoretical computations demonstrate that the OCD band intensities of the enantiopure [Cu2(Dcam)2(dabco)] n grown in different orientations are a direct result of the anisotropic nature of the chiral SURMOFs. Finally, the enantiopure [Cu 2(Dcam)2(dabco)]n and [Cu2(Lcam) 2(dabco)]n SURMOFs were loaded with the two chiral forms of ethyl lactate [(+)-ethyl-D-lactate and (-)-ethyl-L-lactate)]. An enantioselective enrichment of >60 % was observed by OCD when the chiral host scaffold was loaded from the racemic mixture. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Theory of Electron Nematic Order in LaOFeAs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fang, Chen

2010-04-06

We study a spin S quantum Heisenberg model on the Fe lattice of the rare-earth oxypnictide superconductors. Using both large S and large N methods, we show that this model exhibits a sequence of two phase transitions: from a high temperature symmetric phase to a narrow region of intermediate 'nematic' phase, and then to a low temperature spin ordered phase. Identifying phases by their broken symmetries, these phases correspond precisely to the sequence of structural (tetragonal to monoclinic) and magnetic transitions that have been recently revealed in neutron scattering studies of LaOFeAs. The structural transition can thus be identified with the existence of incipient ('fluctuating') magnetic order.

Magneto-optic dynamics in a ferromagnetic nematic liquid crystal

Science.gov (United States)

Potisk, Tilen; Mertelj, Alenka; Sebastián, Nerea; Osterman, Natan; Lisjak, Darja; Brand, Helmut R.; Pleiner, Harald; Svenšek, Daniel

2018-01-01

We investigate dynamic magneto-optic effects in a ferromagnetic nematic liquid crystal experimentally and theoretically. Experimentally we measure the magnetization and the phase difference of the transmitted light when an external magnetic field is applied. As a model we study the coupled dynamics of the magnetization, M , and the director field, n , associated with the liquid crystalline orientational order. We demonstrate that the experimentally studied macroscopic dynamic behavior reveals the importance of a dynamic cross-coupling between M and n . The experimental data are used to extract the value of the dissipative cross-coupling coefficient. We also make concrete predictions about how reversible cross-coupling terms between the magnetization and the director could be detected experimentally by measurements of the transmitted light intensity as well as by analyzing the azimuthal angle of the magnetization and the director out of the plane spanned by the anchoring axis and the external magnetic field. We derive the eigenmodes of the coupled system and study their relaxation rates. We show that in the usual experimental setup used for measuring the relaxation rates of the splay-bend or twist-bend eigenmodes of a nematic liquid crystal one expects for a ferromagnetic nematic liquid crystal a mixture of at least two eigenmodes.

Two-color QCD with non-zero chiral chemical potential

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Braguta, V.V. [Institute for High Energy Physics NRC “Kurchatov Institute' ,142281 Protvino (Russian Federation); Far Eastern Federal University, School of Biomedicine,690950 Vladivostok (Russian Federation); Goy, V.A. [Far Eastern Federal University, School of Natural Sciences,690950 Vladivostok (Russian Federation); Ilgenfritz, E.M. [Joint Institute for Nuclear Research,BLTP, 141980 Dubna (Russian Federation); Kotov, A.Yu. [Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Physics,117259 Moscow (Russian Federation); Molochkov, A.V. [Far Eastern Federal University, School of Biomedicine,690950 Vladivostok (Russian Federation); Müller-Preussker, M.; Petersson, B. [Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Institut für Physik,12489 Berlin (Germany)

2015-06-16

The phase diagram of two-color QCD with non-zero chiral chemical potential is studied by means of lattice simulation. We focus on the influence of a chiral chemical potential on the confinement/deconfinement phase transition and the breaking/restoration of chiral symmetry. The simulation is carried out with dynamical staggered fermions without rooting. The dependences of the Polyakov loop, the chiral condensate and the corresponding susceptibilities on the chiral chemical potential and the temperature are presented. The critical temperature is observed to increase with increasing chiral chemical potential.

Topological symmetry breakdown in cholesterics, nematics, and 3He

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Balachandran, A.P.; Lizzi, F.; Rodgers, V.G.J.

1984-01-01

Cholesterics, uniaxial and biaxial nematics, and the dipole-free A phase of superfluid 3 He are characterized by order parameters which are left invariant by suitable ''symmetry'' groups H. We show that in the presence of defects, the full group H may not be implementable on the states because of topological obstructions. Thus H is topologically broken in the presence of suitable defects

High-performance liquid chromatographic enantioseparation of unusual isoxazoline-fused 2-aminocyclopentanecarboxylic acids on macrocyclic glycopeptide-based chiral stationary phases.

Science.gov (United States)

Sipos, László; Ilisz, István; Nonn, Melinda; Fülöp, Ferenc; Pataj, Zoltán; Armstrong, Daniel W; Péter, Antal

2012-04-06

The enantiomers of four unusual isoxazoline-fused 2-aminocyclopentanecarboxylic acids were directly separated on chiral stationary phases containing macrocyclic glycopeptide antibiotics teicoplanin (Astec Chirobiotic T and T2), teicoplanin aglycone (Chirobiotic TAG), vancomycin (Chirobiotic V) and vancomycin aglycone (Chirobiotic VAG) as chiral selectors. The effects of the mobile phase composition, the structure of the analytes and temperature on the separations were investigated. Experiments were performed at constant mobile phase compositions in the temperature range 5-45 °C to study the effects of temperature, and thermodynamic parameters were calculated from plots of lnk or lnα versus 1/T. Some mechanistic aspects of the chiral recognition process are discussed with respect to the structures of the analytes. It was found that the enantiomeric separations were in most cases enthalpy-driven. The sequence of elution of the enantiomers was determined in all cases. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Effect of Shear Flow on the Isotropic-Nematic Transition in Liquid Crystals.

Science.gov (United States)

Olmsted, Peter David

1991-08-01

In this thesis I will discuss the effects of shear flow on the Isotropic-Nematic phase transition in liquid crystals. Shear flow has dramatic orienting effects on the rod-like constituents of nematic liquid crystals, with the general effects of (1) inducing order in the high-temperature isotropic phase, and (2) dictating a direction of alignment for the low-temperature nematic phase. Shear flow also imposes a biaxial symmetry on both the high and low temperature phases, thereby changing the nature of the symmetry-breaking at the transition. We develop coupled deterministic dynamical equations for the 5-component nematic order parameter and the fluid velocity, which may be considered generalizations of the Leslie-Ericksen and Navier-Stokes equations, respectively. We examine the stable stationary solutions to these equations to determine the nature of the non-equilibrium phases, and discuss the analogies and differences between this system and equilibrium systems. From homogeneous solutions we obtain a state diagram analogous to that of a Van der Waals fluid, including a two-state region and a discontinuous transition which terminates at a critical point. To resolve the question of the analog of the Maxwell construction to distinguish locally stable states, we construct stable inhomogeneous interfacial states. From an analysis of these states we determine a coexistence line and find exponents characterizing the shape of the coexistence curve and the interface thickness as the critical point is approached. We find mean-field critical behavior, and comment on the possibility of the analogs of spinodal decomposition and nucleation. Finally, we develop a formalism for describing light scattering from biaxial steady state, and investigate the Gaussian level fluctuations about these states. In the vicinity of the critical point we find singular behavior analogous to critical opalescence of a simple fluid at its critical point. We also find anisotropic correlations at the

({alpha},{eta}) phase diagrams in tilted chiral smectics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rjili, M., E-mail: medrjili@yahoo.fr [Laboratoire de Physique de la Matiere Molle et de la Modelisation Electromagnetique, Faculte des Sciences de Tunis, Universite Tunis El Manar, 2092 El Manar Tunis (Tunisia); Marcerou, J.P., E-mail: marcerou@crpp-bordeaux.cnrs.fr [Centre de Recherches Paul Pascal, 115, Av. Albert-Schweitzer, 33600 Pessac (France); Gharbi, A.; Othman, T. [Laboratoire de Physique de la Matiere Molle et de la Modelisation Electromagnetique, Faculte des Sciences de Tunis, Universite Tunis El Manar, 2092 El Manar Tunis (Tunisia)

2013-02-01

The polymorphism of tilted chiral smectics liquid crystals is incredibly rich and encompasses many subphases such as SmC{sub A}{sup Low-Asterisk }; SmC{sub Fi1}{sup Low-Asterisk }; SmC{sub Fi2}{sup Low-Asterisk }; SmC{sup Low-Asterisk }; SmC{sub {alpha}}{sup Low-Asterisk }. The continuum theory established by Marcerou (2010) is used to derive an expression for the free energy density of those subphases. The minimization of this free energy is obtained through a combination of analytical and numerical methods. It leads to a phase diagram built in the ({alpha},{eta}) plane where {alpha} is local angular parameter and {eta} describes the variation of the temperature. From this graphical representation, many experimentally observed phase sequences of ferroelectric liquid crystals can be explained, even them including subphases which were recently observed like the SmC{sub 5}{sup Low-Asterisk} and the SmC{sub 6}{sup Low-Asterisk} ones. However, it should be emphasized that the details of predicted phase diagram are strongly dependent on the compound studied.

Active nematic gels as active relaxing solids

Science.gov (United States)

Turzi, Stefano S.

2017-11-01

I propose a continuum theory for active nematic gels, defined as fluids or suspensions of orientable rodlike objects endowed with active dynamics, that is based on symmetry arguments and compatibility with thermodynamics. The starting point is our recent theory that models (passive) nematic liquid crystals as relaxing nematic elastomers. The interplay between viscoelastic response and active dynamics of the microscopic constituents is naturally taken into account. By contrast with standard theories, activity is not introduced as an additional term of the stress tensor, but it is added as an external remodeling force that competes with the passive relaxation dynamics and drags the system out of equilibrium. In a simple one-dimensional channel geometry, we show that the interaction between nonuniform nematic order and activity results in either a spontaneous flow of particles or a self-organization into subchannels flowing in opposite directions.

Liquid crystal phase behaviour of attractive disc-like particles.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Liang; Jackson, George; Müller, Erich A

2013-08-08

We employ a generalized van der Waals-Onsager perturbation theory to construct a free energy functional capable of describing the thermodynamic properties and orientational order of the isotropic and nematic phases of attractive disc particles. The model mesogen is a hard (purely repulsive) cylindrical disc particle decorated with an anisotropic square-well attractive potential placed at the centre of mass. Even for isotropic attractive interactions, the resulting overall inter-particle potential is anisotropic, due to the orientation-dependent excluded volume of the underlying hard core. An algebraic equation of state for attractive disc particles is developed by adopting the Onsager trial function to characterize the orientational order in the nematic phase. The theory is then used to represent the fluid-phase behaviour (vapour-liquid, isotropic-nematic, and nematic-nematic) of the oblate attractive particles for varying values of the molecular aspect ratio and parameters of the attractive potential. When compared to the phase diagram of their athermal analogues, it is seen that the addition of an attractive interaction facilitates the formation of orientationally-ordered phases. Most interestingly, for certain aspect ratios, a coexistence between two anisotropic nematic phases is exhibited by the attractive disc-like fluids.

Quark matter in a chiral chromodielectric model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Broniowski, W.; Kutschera, M.; Cibej, M.; Rosina, M.

1989-03-01

Zero and finite temperature quark matter is studied in a chiral chromodielectric model with quark, meson and chromodielectric degrees of freedom. Mean field approximation is used. Two cases are considered: two-flavor and three-flavor quark matter. It is found that at sufficiently low densities and temperatures the system is in a chirally broken phase, with quarks acquiring effective masses of the order of 100 MeV. At higher densities and temperatures a chiral phase transition occurs and the quarks become massless. A comparison to traditional nuclear physics suggests that the chirally broken phase with massive quark gas may be the ground state of matter at densities of the order of a few nuclear saturation densities. 24 refs., 5 figs. (author)

Ferroelectric Nematic and Ferrielectric Smectic Mesophases in an Achiral Bent-Core Azo Compound.

Science.gov (United States)

Kumar, Jitendra; Prasad, Veena

2018-03-22

Here, we report the observation of ferroelectric nematic and ferrielectric smectic mesophases in an achiral bent-core azo compound consisting of nonsymmetrical molecules with a lateral fluoro substitution on one of the wings. These mesophases are enantiotropic in nature with fairly low transition temperatures and wide mesophase ranges. The liquid crystalline properties of this compound are investigated using polarizing optical microscope, differential scanning calorimeter, X-ray diffraction, and electro-optical studies. As revealed by X-ray diffraction measurements, the nematic mesophase is composed of skewed cybotactic clusters and, in the smectic mesophase, the molecules are tilted with respect to the layer normal. The polar order in these mesophases was confirmed by the electro-optical switching and dielectric spectroscopy measurements. The dielectric study in the nematic mesophase shows a single relaxation process at low frequency ( f interest is the fact that the smectic phase exhibits a field induced ferrielectric state, which can be exploited for designing of the potential optical devices due to multistate switching.

Volume phase transitions of cholesteric liquid crystalline gels.

Science.gov (United States)

Matsuyama, Akihiko

2015-05-07

We present a mean field theory to describe anisotropic deformations of a cholesteric elastomer without solvent molecules and a cholesteric liquid crystalline gel immersed in isotropic solvents at a thermal equilibrium state. Based on the neoclassical rubber theory of nematic elastomers, we derive an elastic energy and a twist distortion energy, which are important to determine the shape of a cholesteric elastomer (or gel). We demonstrate that when the elastic energy dominates in the free energy, the cholesteric elastomer causes a spontaneous compression in the pitch axis and elongates along the director on the plane perpendicular to the pitch axis. Our theory can qualitatively describe the experimental results of a cholesteric elastomer. We also predict the first-order volume phase transitions and anisotropic deformations of a gel at the cholesteric-isotropic phase transition temperature. Depending on a chirality of a gel, we find a prolate or oblate shape of cholesteric gels.

Volume phase transitions of cholesteric liquid crystalline gels

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Matsuyama, Akihiko, E-mail: matuyama@bio.kyutech.ac.jp [Department of Bioscience and Bioinformatics, Faculty of Computer Science and Systems Engineering, Kyushu Institute of Technology, Kawazu 680-4, Iizuka, Fukuoka 820-8502 (Japan)

2015-05-07

We present a mean field theory to describe anisotropic deformations of a cholesteric elastomer without solvent molecules and a cholesteric liquid crystalline gel immersed in isotropic solvents at a thermal equilibrium state. Based on the neoclassical rubber theory of nematic elastomers, we derive an elastic energy and a twist distortion energy, which are important to determine the shape of a cholesteric elastomer (or gel). We demonstrate that when the elastic energy dominates in the free energy, the cholesteric elastomer causes a spontaneous compression in the pitch axis and elongates along the director on the plane perpendicular to the pitch axis. Our theory can qualitatively describe the experimental results of a cholesteric elastomer. We also predict the first-order volume phase transitions and anisotropic deformations of a gel at the cholesteric-isotropic phase transition temperature. Depending on a chirality of a gel, we find a prolate or oblate shape of cholesteric gels.

Evaluation of the chiral recognition properties and the column performances of three chiral stationary phases based on cellulose for the enantioseparation of six dihydropyridines by high-performance liquid chromatography.

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Jia; Tang, Jing; Yuan, Xiaowei; Guo, Xingjie; Zhao, Longshan

2017-03-01

Separations of six dihydropyridine enantiomers on three commercially available cellulose-based chiral stationary phases (Chiralcel OD-RH, Chiralpak IB, and Chiralpak IC) were evaluated with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The best enantioseparation of the six chiral drugs was obtained with a Chiralpak IC (250 × 4.6 mm i.d., 5 μm) column. Then the influence of the mobile phase including an alcohol-modifying agent and alkaline additive on the enantioseparation were investigated and optimized. The optimal mobile phase conditions and maximum resolution for every analyte were as follows respectively: n-hexane/isopropanol (85:15, v/v) for nimodipine (R = 5.80) and cinildilpine (R = 5.65); n-hexane/isopropanol (92:8, v/v) for nicardipine (R = 1.76) and nisoldipine (R = 1.92); and n-hexane/isopropanol/ethanol (97:2:1, v/v/v) for felodipine (R = 1.84) and lercanidipine (R = 1.47). Relative separation mechanisms are discussed based on the separation results, and indicate that the achiral parts in the analytes' structure showed an important influence on the separation of the chiral column. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Uniform phases in fluids of hard isosceles triangles: One-component fluid and binary mixtures

Science.gov (United States)

Martínez-Ratón, Yuri; Díaz-De Armas, Ariel; Velasco, Enrique

2018-05-01

We formulate the scaled particle theory for a general mixture of hard isosceles triangles and calculate different phase diagrams for the one-component fluid and for certain binary mixtures. The fluid of hard triangles exhibits a complex phase behavior: (i) the presence of a triatic phase with sixfold symmetry, (ii) the isotropic-uniaxial nematic transition is of first order for certain ranges of aspect ratios, and (iii) the one-component system exhibits nematic-nematic transitions ending in critical points. We found the triatic phase to be stable not only for equilateral triangles but also for triangles of similar aspect ratios. We focus the study of binary mixtures on the case of symmetric mixtures: equal particle areas with aspect ratios (κi) symmetric with respect to the equilateral one, κ1κ2=3 . For these mixtures we found, aside from first-order isotropic-nematic and nematic-nematic transitions (the latter ending in a critical point): (i) a region of triatic phase stability even for mixtures made of particles that do not form this phase at the one-component limit, and (ii) the presence of a Landau point at which two triatic-nematic first-order transitions and a nematic-nematic demixing transition coalesce. This phase behavior is analogous to that of a symmetric three-dimensional mixture of rods and plates.

Synergistic effect of non-covalent interaction in colloidal nematic liquid crystal doped with magnetic functionalized single-walled carbon nanotubes

Science.gov (United States)

Dalir, Nima; Javadian, Soheila

2018-03-01

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs), CNT@Fe3O4, and Fe3O4 nanocomposites were doped to eutectic uniaxial nematic liquid crystal (NLC's) (E5CN7) to improve physiochemical properties such as phase transition temperature, activation energy (Ea), dielectric anisotropy, and electro-optical properties. The thermal study of nematic phase shows a decrease in the nematic to isotropic phase transition temperature as CNT is doped. However, higher doping concentration of CNTs leads to the further increase in transition temperature. The anchoring effect or π-π interaction plays a key role in N-I phase transition. The functionalization of SWCNTs with Fe3O4 diminishes the CNT aggregation while the magnetic susceptibility is increased. The functionalized CNT doping to NLC's decrease significantly the phase transition temperature compared to doping of non-functionalized CNTs. Attractive interaction between guest and host molecules by magnetic and geometry effect increased the enthalpy and entropy of phase transition in the SWCNT@Fe3O4 sample compared to non-functionalized CNT doped system. Also, the Ea values are decreased as SWCNT@Fe3O4 is doped to pure E5CN7. The difference of N-I phase transition temperature was observed in Fe3O4 and CNT@Fe3O4 compared to SWCNT doped systems. Finally, dielectric anisotropy was increased in the doped system compared to pure NLC.

Pretransitional behaviour in the vicinity of the isotropic-nematic transition of strongly polar compounds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sridevi, S; Krishna Prasad, S; Shankar Rao, D S; Yelamaggad, C V

2008-01-01

The isotropic-nematic transition, being weakly first order, exhibits pretransitional effects signifying the appearance of the nematic-like regions in the isotropic phase. In the isotropic phase, strongly polar liquid crystals, such as the popular alkyl and alkoxy cyano biphenyl behave in a non-standard fashion: whereas far away from the transition the dielectric constant ε iso has a 1/T dependence (a feature also commonly seen in polar liquids), on approaching the nematic phase the trend reverses resulting in a maximum in ε iso , at a temperature slightly above the transition, an effect explained on the basis of short-range correlations with an antiparallel association of the neighbouring molecules. Recently, there has been a revival in studies on this behaviour to possibly associate it with the order of transition. Here we report dielectric measurements carried in the vicinity of this transition for a number of compounds having different molecular structures including a bent core system, but with a common feature that the molecules possess a strong terminal polar group, nitro in one case and cyano in the rest. Surprisingly, the convex shape of the thermal variation of ε iso was more an exception than the rule. In materials that exhibit such an anomaly we find a linear correlation between δε = (ε peak -ε IN )/ε IN and δT = T peak -T IN , where ε peak is the maximum value of the dielectric constant in the isotropic phase, ε IN the value at the transition, and T peak and T IN the corresponding temperatures.

Unusual dileptions at RHIC a field theoretic approach based on a non-equilibrium chiral phase transition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cooper, F.

1997-01-01

This paper contains viewgraphs on unusual dileptons at Brookhaven RHIC. A field theory approach is used based on a non-equilibrium chiral phase transformation utilizing the schroedinger and Heisenberg picture

Unusual dileptions at RHIC a field theoretic approach based on a non-equilibrium chiral phase transition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cooper, F. [Los Alamos National Labs., NM (United States)

1997-09-22

This paper contains viewgraphs on unusual dileptons at Brookhaven RHIC. A field theory approach is used based on a non-equilibrium chiral phase transformation utilizing the schroedinger and Heisenberg picture.

Instabilities and patterns in an active nematic film

Science.gov (United States)

Srivastava, Pragya; Marchetti, Cristina

2015-03-01

Experiments on microtubule bundles confined to an oil-water interface have motivated extensive theoretical studies of two-dimensional active nematics. Theoretical models taking into account the interplay between activity, flow and order have remarkably reproduced several experimentally observed features of the defect-dynamics in these ``living'' nematics. Here, we derive minimal description of a two-dimensional active nematic film confined between walls. At high friction, we eliminate the flow to obtain closed equations for the nematic order parameter, with renormalized Frank elastic constants. Active processes can render the ``Frank'' constants negative, resulting in the instability of the uniformly ordered nematic state. The minimal model yields emergent patterns of growing complexity with increasing activity, including bands and turbulent dynamics with a steady density of topological defects, as obtained with the full hydrodynamic equations. We report on the scaling of the length scales of these patterns and of the steady state number of defects with activity and system size. National Science Foundation grant DMR-1305184 and Syracuse Soft Matter Program.

Group theoretical arguments on the Landau theory of second-order phase transitions applied to the phase transitions in some liquid crystals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rosciszewski, K.

1979-01-01

The phase transitions between liquids and several of the simplest liquid crystalline phases (nematic, cholesteric, and the simplest types of smectic A and smectic C) were studied from the point of view of the group-theoretical arguments of Landau theory. It was shown that the only possible candidates for second-order phase transitions are those between nematic and smectic A, between centrosymmetric nematic and smectic C and between centrosymmetric smectic A and smectic C. Simple types of density functions for liquid crystalline phases are proposed. (author)

Droplet snap-off in fluids with nematic liquid crystalline ordering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Verhoeff, A A; Lekkerkerker, H N W

2012-01-01

We studied the snap-off of nematic liquid crystalline droplets originating from the Rayleigh-Taylor instability at the isotropic-nematic interface in suspensions of charged gibbsite in water and sterically stabilized gibbsite in bromotoluene. We found that droplet snap-off strongly depends on the director field structure inside the thinning neck, which is determined by the ratio of the splay elastic constant and the anchoring strength of the nematic phase to the droplet interface relative to the thickness of the thinning neck. If anchoring is weak, which is the case for aqueous gibbsite, this ratio is comparable to the thickness of the breaking thread. As a result, the thinning neck and pending drop have a uniform director field and droplet snap-off is determined by the viscous properties of the liquid crystal as well as by thermal fluctuations of the interface. On the other hand, in sterically stabilized gibbsite where anchoring is strong, this ratio is significantly smaller than the neck thickness. In this case, the neck has an escaped radial director field and the neck thinning is retarded close to snap-off due to a topological energy barrier involved in the separation of the droplet from the thread. (paper)

Alternating twist structures formed by electroconvection in the nematic phase of an achiral bent-core molecule.

Science.gov (United States)

Tanaka, Shingo; Dhara, Surajit; Sadashiva, B K; Shimbo, Yoshio; Takanishi, Yoichi; Araoka, Fumito; Ishikawa, Ken; Takezoe, Hideo

2008-04-01

We report an unusual electroconvection in the nematic phase of a bent-core liquid crystal. In a voltage-frequency diagram, two frequency regions exhibiting prewavy stripe patterns were found, as reported by Wiant We found that these stripes never show extinction dark when cells were rotated under crossed polarizers. Based on the color interchange in between neighboring stripes by the rotation of the cells or an analyzer, twisted molecular orientation is suggested; i.e., the directors are alternately twisted from the top to the bottom surfaces with a pretilt angle in adjacent stripes, which is an analogue of the twisted (splayed) structure observed in surface-stabilized ferroelectric liquid crystal cells. The transmittance spectra calculated using the 4x4 matrix method from the model structure are consistent with the experimental observation.

Isotropic-nematic transition of long, thin, hard spherocylinders confined in a quasi-two-dimensional planar geometry

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lagomarsino, M.C.; Dogterom, M.; Dijkstra, Marjolein

2003-01-01

We present computer simulations of long, thin, hard spherocylinders in a narrow planar slit. We observe a transition from the isotropic to a nematic phase with quasi-long-range orientational order upon increasing the density. This phase transition is intrinsically two-dimensional and of

A finite-density calculation of the surface tension of isotropic-nematic interfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moore, B.G.; McMullen, W.E.

1992-01-01

The surface tension of the isotropic-nematic interface in a fluid of intermediate-sized hard particles is studied and calculated. The transition from isotropic to nematic is fixed to occur in a continuous fashion by varying the biaxiality of the model particles. A reversal in the preferred orientation of the bulk nematic relative to the isotropic-nematic interface suggests an oblique orientation of the bulk nematic. 32 refs., 8 figs

The effect of the Polyakov loop on the chiral phase transition

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Szép Zs.

2011-04-01

Full Text Available The Polyakov loop is included in the S U(2L × S U(2R chiral quark-meson model by considering the propagation of the constituent quarks, coupled to the (σ, π meson multiplet, on the homogeneous background of a temporal gauge field, diagonal in color space. The model is solved at finite temperature and quark baryon chemical potential both in the chiral limit and for the physical value of the pion mass by using an expansion in the number of flavors Nf. Keeping the fermion propagator at its tree-level, a resummation on the pion propagator is constructed which resums infinitely many orders in 1/Nf, where O(1/Nf represents the order at which the fermions start to contribute in the pion propagator. The influence of the Polyakov loop on the tricritical or the critical point in the µq – T phase diagram is studied for various forms of the Polyakov loop potential.

Enantioseparation of Racemic Flurbiprofen by Aqueous Two-Phase Extraction With Binary Chiral Selectors of L-dioctyl Tartrate and L-tryptophan.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Zhi; Zhang, Wei; Wang, Liping; Fan, Huajun; Wan, Qiang; Wu, Xuehao; Tang, Xunyou; Tang, James Z

2015-09-01

A novel method for chiral separation of flurbiprofen enantiomers was developed using aqueous two-phase extraction (ATPE) coupled with biphasic recognition chiral extraction (BRCE). An aqueous two-phase system (ATPS) was used as an extracting solvent which was composed of ethanol (35.0% w/w) and ammonium sulfate (18.0% w/w). The chiral selectors in ATPS for BRCE consideration were L-dioctyl tartrate and L-tryptophan, which were screened from amino acids, β-cyclodextrin derivatives, and L-tartrate esters. Factors such as the amounts of L-dioctyl tartrate and L-tryptophan, pH, flurbiprofen concentration, and the operation temperature were investigated in terms of chiral separation of flurbiprofen enantiomers. The optimum conditions were as follows: L-dioctyl tartrate, 80 mg; L-tryptophan, 40 mg; pH, 4.0; flurbiprofen concentration, 0.10 mmol/L; and temperature, 25 °C. The maximum separation factor α for flurbiprofen enantiomers could reach 2.34. The mechanism of chiral separation of flurbiprofen enantiomers is discussed and studied. The results showed that synergistic extraction has been established by L-dioctyl tartrate and L-tryptophan, which enantioselectively recognized R- and S-enantiomers in top and bottom phases, respectively. Compared to conventional liquid-liquid extraction, ATPE coupled with BRCE possessed higher separation efficiency and enantioselectivity without the use of any other organic solvents. The proposed method is a potential and powerful alternative to conventional extraction for separation of various enantiomers. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Magneto-optic dynamics in a ferromagnetic nematic liquid crystal

OpenAIRE

Potisk, Tilen; Mertelj, Alenka; Sebastian, Nerea; Osterman, Natan; Lisjak, Darja; Brand, Helmut R.; Pleiner, Harald; Svenšek, Daniel

2018-01-01

We investigate dynamic magneto-optic effects in a ferromagnetic nematic liquid crystal experimentally and theoretically. Experimentally we measure the magnetization and the phase difference of the transmitted light when an external magnetic field is applied. As a model we study the coupled dynamics of the magnetization, M, and the director field, n, associated with the liquid crystalline orientational order. We demonstrate that the experimentally studied macroscopic dynamic behavior reveals t...

Influence of microemulsion chirality on chromatographic figures of merit in EKC: results with novel three-chiral-component microemulsions and comparison with one- and two-chiral-component microemulsions.

Science.gov (United States)

Kahle, Kimberly A; Foley, Joe P

2007-08-01

Novel microemulsion formulations containing all chiral components are described for the enantioseparation of six pairs of pharmaceutical enantiomers (atenolol, ephedrine, metoprolol, N-methyl ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, and synephrine). The chiral surfactant dodecoxycarbonylvaline (DDCV, R- and S-), the chiral cosurfactant S-2-hexanol, and the chiral oil diethyl tartrate (R- and S-) were combined to create four different chiral microemulsions, three of which were stable. Results obtained for enantioselectivity, efficiency, and resolution were compared for the triple-chirality systems and the single-chirality system that contained chiral surfactant only. Improvements in enantioselectivity and resolution were achieved by simultaneously incorporating three chiral components into the aggregate. The one-chiral-component microemulsion provided better efficiencies. Enantioselective synergies were identified for the three-chiral-component nanodroplets using a thermodynamic model. Additionally, two types of dual-chirality systems, chiral surfactant/chiral cosurfactant and chiral surfactant/chiral oil, were examined in terms of chromatographic figures of merit, with the former providing much better resolution. The two varieties of two-chiral-component microemulsions gave similar values for enantioselectivity and efficiency. Lastly, the microemulsion formulations were divided into categories based on the number of chiral microemulsion reagents and the average results for each pair of enantiomers were analyzed for trends. In general, enantioselectivity and resolution were enhanced while efficiency was decreased as more chiral components were used to create the pseudostationary phase (PSP).

Inhomogeneous chiral symmetry breaking in isospin-asymmetric strong-interaction matter

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nowakowski, Daniel

2017-07-01

In this thesis we investigate the effects of an isospin asymmetry on inhomogeneous chiral symmetry breaking phases, which are characterized by spatially modulated quarkantiquark condensates. In order to determine the relevance of such phases for the phase diagram of strong-interaction matter, a two-flavor Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model is used to study the properties of the ground state of the system. Confirming the presence of inhomogeneous chiral symmetry breaking in isospin-asymmetric matter for a simple Chiral Density Wave, we generalize the modulation of the quark-antiquark pairs to more complicated shapes and study the effects of different degrees of flavor-mixing on the inhomogeneous phase at non-zero isospin asymmetry. Then, we investigate the occurrence of crystalline chiral symmetry breaking phases in charge-neutral matter, from which we determine the influence of crystalline phases on a quark star by calculating mass-radius sequences. Finally, our model is extended through color-superconducting phases and we study the interplay of these phases with inhomogeneous chiral-symmetry breaking at non-vanishing isospin asymmetry, before we discuss our findings.

Pions and the chiral bag

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rho, M.

1982-01-01

As an aid to discussing the structure of nucleons and nuclei conceptual framework, heuristic arguments are presented which indicate that a hadron can be considered as a bag consisting of two different phases. The chiral structure of the phase outside the bag is discussed in terms of effective field theories and it is shown to what extent experiments in nuclei can constrain the structure of such theories. Results thus obtained are then combined to set up a set of equations for the bag structure of u and d hadrons, incorporating asymptotic freedom in the phase inside of the bag confinement of quarks and gluons by boundary conditions and spontaneously broken chiral symmetry in the outside. This set of equations which represent a chirally invariant generalization of the M.I.T. bag model is then solved. (U.K.)

Chiral recognition with enantioselective ion exchangers based on carbamoylated cinchonan derivatives as chiral selectors for the HPLC enantioseparation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Laemmerhofer, M.

1996-11-01

The high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) separation of enantiomers is preferentially performed using chiral stationary phases (CSPs). If the chiral auxiliary (selector, SO) contains charged or ionizable groups one gets ion exchanger type CSPs which may bind and retain oppositely charged analytes (selectands, SAs). We prepared anion exchanger type CSPs with various quinine and quinidine carbarnates as chiral SOs immobilized either on porous or non-porous silica. These CSPs are able to resolve the enantiomers of a wide spectrum of chiral carboxylic, sulfonic, phosphonic, phosphoric acids and of many other chiral acidic solutes (e.g. N-derivatized alpha-, beta- , gamma-amino acids as 2,4-dinitrophenyl, 3,5-dinitrobenzoyl, benzoyl, acetyl, formyl, t.-butoxycarbonyl, benzyloxycarbonyl, 9-fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl, dansyl amino acids and peptides, alpha-arylalkylcarboxylic acids as profens, alpha-aryloxyalkylcarboxylic acids, alpha-arylthioalkylcarboxylic acids and acidic drugs like etodolac, proglumide, acenocournarol, leucovorin, omeprazole, pantoprazole) employing buffered aqueous mobile phases or non-aqueous mobile phases with buffer dissolved in the organic solvent. The influence of mobile phase parameters and other experimental conditions on retention and enantioselectivity has been evaluated for isocratic and gradient elution techniques, aided by the commercial method development computer software DryLab. Several 'Quantitative Structure-Retention Relationships' (QSRR) have been derived, which allowed prediction of enantioselectivity of new analytes and moreover the optimization of the SO-structure. Spectroscopic investigations as H-NMR, FTIR of certain SO-SA-complexes have been exerted to unveil the mechanism of chiral recognition. (author)

Structural transitions and guest/host complexing of liquid crystal helical nanofilaments induced by nanoconfinement.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Hanim; Ryu, Seong Ho; Tuchband, Michael; Shin, Tae Joo; Korblova, Eva; Walba, David M; Clark, Noel A; Yoon, Dong Ki

2017-02-01

A lamellar liquid crystal (LC) phase of certain bent-core mesogenic molecules can be grown in a manner that generates a single chiral helical nanofilament in each of the cylindrical nanopores of an anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) membrane. By introducing guest molecules into the resulting composite chiral nanochannels, we explore the structures and functionality of the ordered guest/host LC complex, verifying the smectic-like positional order of the fluidic nematic LC phase, which is obtained by the combination of the LC organization and the nanoporous AAO superstructure. The guest nematic LC 4'- n -pentyl-4-cyanobiphenyl is found to form a distinctive fluid layered ordered LC complex at the nanofilament/guest interface with the host 1,3-phenylene bis[4-(4-nonyloxyphenyliminomethyl)benzoate], where this interface contacts the AAO cylinder wall. Filament growth form is strongly influenced by mixture parameters and pore dimensions.

Quantum chaos and chiral symmetry at the QCD and QED phase transition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bittner, Elmar; Markum, Harald; Pullirsch, Rainer

2001-01-01

We investigate the eigenvalue spectrum of the staggered Dirac matrix in SU(3) gauge theory and in full QCD as well as in quenched U(1) theory. As a measure of the fluctuation properties of the eigenvalues, we consider the nearest-neighbor spacing distribution. We find that in all regions of their phase diagrams, compact lattice gauge theories have bulk spectral correlations given by random matrix theory, which is an indication for quantum chaos. In the confinement phase, the low-lying Dirac spectrum of these quantum field theories is well described by random matrix theory, exhibiting universal behavior. Related results for gauge theories with minimal coupling are now discussed also in the chirally symmetric phase

QCD and the chiral critical point

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gavin, S.; Gocksch, A.; Pisarski, R.D.

1994-01-01

As an extension of QCD, consider a theory with ''2+1'' flavors, where the current quark masses are held in a fixed ratio as the overall scale of the quark masses is varied. At nonzero temperature and baryon density it is expected that in the chiral limit the chiral phase transition is of first order. Increasing the quark mass from zero, the chiral transition becomes more weakly first order, and can end in a chiral critical point. We show that the only massless field at the chiral critical point is a σ meson, with the universality class that of the Ising model. Present day lattice simulations indicate that QCD is (relatively) near to the chiral critical point

Confining but chirally symmetric dense and cold matter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Glozman, L. Ya.

2012-01-01

The possibility for existence of cold, dense chirally symmetric matter with confinement is reviewed. The answer to this question crucially depends on the mechanism of mass generation in QCD and interconnection of confinement and chiral symmetry breaking. This question can be clarified from spectroscopy of hadrons and their axial properties. Almost systematical parity doubling of highly excited hadrons suggests that their mass is not related to chiral symmetry breaking in the vacuum and is approximately chirally symmetric. Then there is a possibility for existence of confining but chirally symmetric matter. We clarify a possible mechanism underlying such a phase at low temperatures and large density. Namely, at large density the Pauli blocking prevents the gap equation to generate a solution with broken chiral symmetry. However, the chirally symmetric part of the quark Green function as well as all color non-singlet quantities are still infrared divergent, meaning that the system is with confinement. A possible phase transition to such a matter is most probably of the first order. This is because there are no chiral partners to the lowest lying hadrons.

A High-Resolution Magic Angle Spinning NMR Study of the Enantiodiscrimination of 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA by an Immobilized Polysaccharide-Based Chiral Phase.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Juliana C Barreiro

Full Text Available This paper reports the investigation of the chiral interaction between 3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine (MDMA enantiomers and an immobilized polysaccharide-based chiral phase. For that, suspended-state high-resolution magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H HR-MAS NMR was used. 1H HR-MAS longitudinal relaxation time and Saturation Transfer Difference (STD NMR titration experiments were carried out yielding information at the molecular level of the transient diastereoisomeric complexes of MDMA enantiomers and the chiral stationary phase. The interaction of the enantiomers takes place through the aromatic moiety of MDMA and the aromatic group of the chiral selector by π-π stacking for both enantiomers; however, a stronger interaction was observed for the (R-enantiomer, which is the second one to elute at the chromatographic conditions.

Homochiral Evolution in Self-Assembled Chiral Polymers and Block Copolymers.

Science.gov (United States)

Wen, Tao; Wang, Hsiao-Fang; Li, Ming-Chia; Ho, Rong-Ming

2017-04-18

The significance of chirality transfer is not only involved in biological systems, such as the origin of homochiral structures in life but also in man-made chemicals and materials. How the chiral bias transfers from molecular level (molecular chirality) to helical chain (conformational chirality) and then to helical superstructure or phase (hierarchical chirality) from self-assembly is vital for the chemical and biological processes in nature, such as communication, replication, and enzyme catalysis. In this Account, we summarize the methodologies for the examination of homochiral evolution at different length scales based on our recent studies with respect to the self-assembly of chiral polymers and chiral block copolymers (BCPs*). A helical (H*) phase to distinguish its P622 symmetry from that of normal hexagonally packed cylinder phase was discovered in the self-assembly of BCPs* due to the chirality effect on BCP self-assembly. Enantiomeric polylactide-containing BCPs*, polystyrene-b-poly(l-lactide) (PS-PLLA) and polystyrene-b-poly(d-lactide) (PS-PDLA), were synthesized for the examination of homochiral evolution. The optical activity (molecular chirality) of constituted chiral repeating unit in the chiral polylactide is detected by electronic circular dichroism (ECD) whereas the conformational chirality of helical polylactide chain can be explicitly determined by vibrational circular dichroism (VCD). The H* phases of the self-assembled polylactide-containing BCPs* can be directly visualized by 3D transmission electron microscopy (3D TEM) technique at which the handedness (hierarchical chirality) of the helical nanostructure is thus determined. The results from the ECD, VCD, and 3D TEM for the investigated chirality at different length scales suggest the homochiral evolution in the self-assembly of the BCPs*. For chiral polylactides, twisted lamellae in crystalline banded spherulite can be formed by dense packing scheme and effective interactions upon helical

Phase Diagram of Binary Mixture E7:TM74A Liquid Crystals

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Serafin Delica

1999-12-01

Full Text Available Although there are many liquid crystalline materials, difficulty is often experienced in obtaining LCs that are stable and has a wide mesophase range. In this study, mixtures of two different LCs were used to formulate a technologically viable LC operating at room temperature. Nematic E7(BDH and cholesteric TM74A were mixed at different weight ratios at 10% increments. Transition temperatures were determined via Differential Scanning Calorimetry and phase identification was done using Optical Polarizing Microscopy. The phase diagram showed the existence of three different phases for the temperature range of 10-80°C. Mixtures with 0-20% E7 exhibit only the cholesteric-nematic mesophase, which could be due to the mixture's being largely TM74A and its behavior in the temperature range considered is similar to the behavior of pure TM74A. With an increase in the concentration of E7, the smectic phase of the pure cholesteric was enhanced, as seen from the increased transition to the cholesteric-nematic phase and a broader smectic range. The cholesteric-nematic to isotropic transition increased as the nematic concentration increases, following the behavior expected from LC mixtures. For mixtures that are largely nematic (more than 50% E7, the smectic phase has vanished and the cholesteric-nematic phase dominated from 30-60°C.

Evaluation of the chiral recognition properties as well as the column performance of four chiral stationary phases based on cellulose (3,5-dimethylphenylcarbamate) by parallel HPLC and SFC.

Science.gov (United States)

Nelander, Hanna; Andersson, Shalini; Ohlén, Kristina

2011-12-30

The performance of four commercially available cellulose tris(3,5-dimethylphenylcarbamate) based chiral stationary phases (CSPs) was evaluated with parallel high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and super critical fluid chromatography (SFC). Retention, enantioselectivity, resolution and efficiency were compared for a set of neutral, basic and acidic compounds having different physico-chemical properties by using different mobile phase conditions. Although the chiral selector is the same in all the four CSPs, a large difference in the ability to retain and resolve enantiomers was observed under the same chromatographic conditions. We believe that this is mainly due to differences in the silica matrix and immobilization techniques used by the different vendors. An extended study of metoprolol and structure analogues gave a deeper understanding of the accessibility of the chiral discriminating interactions and its impact on the resolution of the racemic compounds on the four CSPs studied. Also, a clear difference in enantioselectivity is observed between SFC and LC mode, hydrogen bonding was found to play an important role in the differential binding of the enantiomers to the CSPs. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

UV response on dielectric properties of nano nematic liquid crystal

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Kamal Kumar Pandey

2018-03-01

Full Text Available In this work, we investigate the effect of UV light irradiation on the dielectric parameters of nematic liquid crystal (5CB and ZnO nanoparticles dispersed liquid crystal. With addition of nanoparticles in nematic LC are promising new materials for a variety of application in energy harvesting, displays and photonics including the liquid crystal laser. To realize many applications, however we optimize the properties of liquid crystal and understand how the UV light irradiation interact the nanoparticles and LC molecules in dispersed/doped LC. The dielectric permittivity and loss factor have discussed the pure nematic LC and dispersed/doped system after, during and before UV light exposure. The dielectric relaxation spectroscopy was carried out in the frequency range 100 Hz–10 MHz in the nematic mesophase range. Keywords: Dielectric permittivity, Relaxation frequency, Nematic liquid crystal, UV light irradiation

Spin-orbit beams for optical chirality measurement

Science.gov (United States)

Samlan, C. T.; Suna, Rashmi Ranjan; Naik, Dinesh N.; Viswanathan, Nirmal K.

2018-01-01

Accurate measurement of chirality is essential for the advancement of natural and pharmaceutical sciences. We report here a method to measure chirality using non-separable states of light with geometric phase-gradient in the circular polarization basis, which we refer to as spin-orbit beams. A modified polarization Sagnac interferometer is used to generate spin-orbit beams wherein the spin and orbital angular momentum of the input Gaussian beam are coupled. The out-of-phase interference between counter-propagating Gaussian beams with orthogonal spin states and lateral-shear or/and linear-phase difference between them results in spin-orbit beams with linear and azimuthal phase gradient. The spin-orbit beams interact efficiently with the chiral medium, inducing a measurable change in the center-of-mass of the beam, using the polarization rotation angle and hence the chirality of the medium are accurately calculated. Tunable dynamic range of measurement and flexibility to introduce large values of orbital angular momentum for the spin-orbit beam, to improve the measurement sensitivity, highlight the techniques' versatility.

Helicity-Selective Phase-Matching and Quasi-Phase matching of Circularly Polarized High-Order Harmonics: Towards Chiral Attosecond Pulses

Science.gov (United States)

2016-05-23

2 Department of Physics and JILA, University of Colorado and NIST, Boulder, CO 80309, USA 3Department of Physics and Optical Engineering, Ort Braude...polarized high harmonic generation, phase matching, ultrafast chiral physics, attosecond pulses (Some figures may appear in colour only in the online...temporal resolution and in spectral regions unavailable to circular polarization thus far. Acknowledgments This work was supported by the USA –Israel

Influence of heavy hadronic states on the QCD phase diagram and on the freeze-out within a hadronic chiral model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zeeb, G.

2006-01-01

In this thesis the thermodynamical properties of strongly interacting hadronic matter and the microscopic in-medium properties of hadrons are investigated at high temperatures and high baryonic densities within a chiral flavor-SU(3) model. The applied model is a generalized σ-ω model in mean-field approximation with baryons and mesons as effective degrees of freedom. It is built on spontaneously broken chiral symmetry and scale invariance. The phase transition behavior is systematically analyzed and is thus shown to depend significantly on the couplings of additional heavier hadronic degrees of freedom. A phase diagram in qualitative agreement with current lattice QCD (lQCD) calculations can result from an according coupling of the lowest lying baryonic decuplet to the model. Alternatively, the coupling of a heavy baryonic test-resonance is investigated, which effectively represents the spectrum of the heavy hadronic states. For a certain range of parameters one can even obtain a phase diagram in quantitative agreement with the lQCD calculations and, simultaneously, a successful description of the ground state properties of nuclear matter. It is shown that (within the model assumptions) the phase transition region is experimentally accessible for the CBM experiment at the upcoming FAIR facility at GSI Darmstadt. The chiral model is further applied to particle yield ratios measured in heavy-ion collisions from AGS, SPS and RHIC. For these investigations parameter sets with strongly differing phase diagrams due to different couplings of the baryon decuplet are used and in addition an ideal hadron gas. At the lower and mid collision energies the chiral parameter sets show an improved description as compared to the ideal hadron gas, especially for parameter sets with phase diagrams similar to the lQCD predictions. The interaction within the chiral model leads to in-medium modifications of the chemical potentials and the hadron masses. Therefore the resulting freeze

Different phases of a system of hard rods on three dimensional cubic lattice

Science.gov (United States)

Vigneshwar, N.; Dhar, Deepak; Rajesh, R.

2017-11-01

We study the different phases of a system of monodispersed hard rods of length k on a cubic lattice, using an efficient cluster algorithm able to simulate densities close to the fully-packed limit. For k≤slant 4 , the system is disordered at all densities. For k=5, 6 , we find a single density-driven transition, from a disordered phase to high density layered-disordered phase, in which the density of rods of one orientation is strongly suppressed, breaking the system into weakly coupled layers. Within a layer, the system is disordered. For k ≥slant 7 , three density-driven transitions are observed numerically: isotropic to nematic to layered-nematic to layered-disordered. In the layered-nematic phase, the system breaks up into layers, with nematic order in each layer, but very weak correlation between the ordering directions of different layers. We argue that the layered-nematic phase is a finite-size effect, and in the thermodynamic limit, the nematic phase will have higher entropy per site. We expect the systems of rods in four and higher dimensions will have a qualitatively similar phase diagram.

Phenomena at the QCD phase transition in nonequilibrium chiral fluid dynamics (NχFD)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nahrgang, Marlene [Duke University, Department of Physics, Durham, NC (United States); Herold, Christoph [Suranaree University of Technology, School of Physics, Nakhon Ratchasima (Thailand)

2016-08-15

Heavy-ion collisions performed in the beam energy range accessible by the NICA collider facility are expected to produce systems of extreme net-baryon densities and can thus reach yet unexplored regions of the QCD phase diagram. Here, one expects the phase transition between the plasma of deconfined quarks and gluons and the hadronic matter to be of first order. A discovery of the first-order phase transition would as well prove the existence of the QCD critical point, a landmark in the phase diagram. In order to understand possible signals of the first-order phase transition in heavy-ion collision experiments it is very important to develop dynamical models of the phase transition. Here, we discuss the opportunities of studying dynamical effects at the QCD first-order phase transition within our model of nonequilibrium chiral fluid dynamics. (orig.)

Magnetic fluctuations and correlations in MnSi : Evidence for a chiral skyrmion spin liquid phase

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pappas, C.; Lelièvre-Berna, E.; Bentley, P.; Falus, P.; Fouquet, P.; Farago, B.

2011-01-01

We present a comprehensive analysis of high-resolution neutron scattering data involving neutron spin echo spectroscopy and spherical polarimetry, which confirm the first-order nature of the helical transition in MnSi. The experiments reveal the existence of a totally chiral dynamic phase in a very

Stereoelectronic model to explain the resolution of enantiomeric ibuprofen amides on the Pirkle chiral stationary phase.

Science.gov (United States)

Nicoll-Griffith, D A

1987-07-31

A chiral recognition model is proposed which incorporates the electronic and steric interactions between amide derivatives of ibuprofen and the (R)-N-(3,5-dinitrobenzoyl)phenylglycine-derived Pirkle chiral stationary phase during high-performance liquid chromatography. Based on this rationale, amide derivatives of ibuprofen were prepared using 4-chloroaniline, 4-bromoaniline, aniline, 4-methoxyaniline and 1-aminonaphthylene to improve the enantiomer separation over previously reported results with this column. The amides prepared gave separation values of 1.16, 1.16, 1.19, 1.21 and 1.23, respectively. These high separation values are consistent with the proposed model.

Photonic crystals, light manipulation, and imaging in complex nematic structures

Science.gov (United States)

Ravnik, Miha; Å timulak, Mitja; Mur, Urban; Čančula, Miha; Čopar, Simon; Žumer, Slobodan

2016-03-01

Three selected approaches for manipulation of light by complex nematic colloidal and non-colloidal structures are presented using different own custom developed theoretical and modelling approaches. Photonic crystals bands of distorted cholesteric liquid crystal helix and of nematic colloidal opals are presented, also revealing distinct photonic modes and density of states. Light propagation along half-integer nematic disclinations is shown with changes in the light polarization of various winding numbers. As third, simulated light transmission polarization micrographs of nematic torons are shown, offering a new insight into the complex structure characterization. Finally, this work is a contribution towards using complex soft matter in optics and photonics for advanced light manipulation.

Patterning nonisometric origami in nematic elastomer sheets

Science.gov (United States)

Plucinsky, Paul; Kowalski, Benjamin A.; White, Timothy J.; Bhattacharya, Kaushik

Nematic elastomers dramatically change their shape in response to diverse stimuli including light and heat. In this paper, we provide a systematic framework for the design of complex three dimensional shapes through the actuation of heterogeneously patterned nematic elastomer sheets. These sheets are composed of \\textit{nonisometric origami} building blocks which, when appropriately linked together, can actuate into a diverse array of three dimensional faceted shapes. We demonstrate both theoretically and experimentally that: 1) the nonisometric origami building blocks actuate in the predicted manner, 2) the integration of multiple building blocks leads to complex multi-stable, yet predictable, shapes, 3) we can bias the actuation experimentally to obtain a desired complex shape amongst the multi-stable shapes. We then show that this experimentally realized functionality enables a rich possible design landscape for actuation using nematic elastomers. We highlight this landscape through theoretical examples, which utilize large arrays of these building blocks to realize a desired three dimensional origami shape. In combination, these results amount to an engineering design principle, which we hope will provide a template for the application of nematic elastomers to emerging technologies.

Enantioselective Collision-Activated Dissociation of Gas-Phase Tryptophan Induced by Chiral Recognition of Protonated l-Alanine Peptides

Science.gov (United States)

Fujihara, Akimasa; Matsuyama, Hiroki; Tajiri, Michiko; Wada, Yoshinao; Hayakawa, Shigeo

2017-06-01

Enantioselective dissociation in the gas phase is important for enantiomeric enrichment and chiral transmission processes in molecular clouds regarding the origin of homochirality in biomolecules. Enantioselective collision-activated dissociation (CAD) of tryptophan (Trp) and the chiral recognition ability of l-alanine peptides ( l-Ala n ; n = 2-4) were examined using a linear ion trap mass spectrometer. CAD spectra of gas-phase heterochiral H+( d-Trp)( l-Ala n ) and homochiral H+( l-Trp)( l-Ala n ) noncovalent complexes were obtained as a function of the peptide size n. The H2O-elimination product was observed in CAD spectra of both heterochiral and homochiral complexes for n = 2 and 4, and in homochiral H+( l-Trp)( l-Ala3), indicating that the proton is attached to the l-alanine peptide, and H2O loss occurs from H+( l-Ala n ) in the noncovalent complexes. H2O loss did not occur in heterochiral H+( d-Trp)( l-Ala3), where NH3 loss and (H2O + CO) loss were the primary dissociation pathways. In heterochiral H+( d-Trp)( l-Ala3), the protonation site is the amino group of d-Trp, and NH3 loss and (H2O + CO) loss occur from H+( d-Trp). l-Ala peptides recognize d-Trp through protonation of the amino group for peptide size n = 3. NH3 loss and (H2O + CO) loss from H+( d-Trp) proceeds via enantioselective CAD in gas-phase heterochiral H+( d-Trp)( l-Ala3) at room temperature, whereas l-Trp dissociation was not observed in homochiral H+( l-Trp)( l-Ala3). These results suggest that enantioselective dissociation induced by chiral recognition of l-Ala peptides through protonation could play an important role in enantiomeric enrichment and chiral transmission processes of amino acids.

Chiral separation of aryloxyphenoxy-propionate herbicides in a permethyl-β-cyclodextrin based column. Influence of temperature and mobile phase composition on enantioselectivity.

Science.gov (United States)

Lubomirsky, Ester; Padró, Juan M; Di Loreto, Héctor; Castells, Cecilia B

2017-08-01

We used a permethyl-β-cyclodextrin chiral stationary phase under reversed-phase conditions for the chiral separation of four aryloxyphenoxy-propionate herbicides (fenoxaprop-p-ethyl, quizalofop-p-ethyl and tefuryl, and haloxyfop-p-methyl) with mixtures of methanol, ethanol, 2-propanol, n-propanol, tert-butanol, or acetonitrile and water as mobile phases and investigated the influence of mobile phase composition and column temperature (from 0 to 50°C) on the separation. The retention factors (k) and selectivity factors (α) of all the herbicides investigated decreased with increasing temperature. The lnα versus 1/T and lnk versus 1/T plots for the enantiomers of the chiral pesticides were linear within the range of 0-50°C with all alcohol/water mixtures constituting the mobile phase, but the lnk versus 1/T plots were nonlinear for all the enantiomers chromatographed in acetonitrile/water mixtures. The thermodynamic parameters based on linear van't Hoff plots were calculated. The influence of temperature and mobile phase composition on the enantioseparation of the solutes has rarely been considered simultaneously. The temperature and the solvents used in the mobile phase, however, were found to have a profound effect on the enantioseparation of these herbicides. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Particles with changeable topology in nematic colloids

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ravnik, Miha; Čopar, Simon; Žumer, Slobodan

2015-01-01

We show that nematic colloids can serve as a highly variable and controllable platform for studying inclusions with changeable topology and their effects on the surrounding ordering fields. We explore morphing of toroidal and knotted colloidal particles into effective spheres, distinctively changing their Euler characteristic and affecting the surrounding nematic field, including topological defect structures. With toroidal particles, the inner nematic defect eventually transitions from a wide loop to a point defect (a small loop). Trefoil particles become linked with two knotted defect loops, mutually forming a three component link, that upon tightening transform into a two-component particle-defect loop link. For more detailed topological analysis, Pontryagin-Thom surfaces are calculated and visualised, indicating an interesting cascade of defect rewirings caused by the shape morphing of the knotted particles. (paper)

Asymmetric synthesis using chiral-encoded metal

Science.gov (United States)

Yutthalekha, Thittaya; Wattanakit, Chularat; Lapeyre, Veronique; Nokbin, Somkiat; Warakulwit, Chompunuch; Limtrakul, Jumras; Kuhn, Alexander

2016-08-01

The synthesis of chiral compounds is of crucial importance in many areas of society and science, including medicine, biology, chemistry, biotechnology and agriculture. Thus, there is a fundamental interest in developing new approaches for the selective production of enantiomers. Here we report the use of mesoporous metal structures with encoded geometric chiral information for inducing asymmetry in the electrochemical synthesis of mandelic acid as a model molecule. The chiral-encoded mesoporous metal, obtained by the electrochemical reduction of platinum salts in the presence of a liquid crystal phase and the chiral template molecule, perfectly retains the chiral information after removal of the template. Starting from a prochiral compound we demonstrate enantiomeric excess of the (R)-enantiomer when using (R)-imprinted electrodes and vice versa for the (S)-imprinted ones. Moreover, changing the amount of chiral cavities in the material allows tuning the enantioselectivity.

Core structure and dynamics of non-Abelian vortices in a biaxial nematic spinor Bose-Einstein condensate

Science.gov (United States)

Borgh, Magnus O.; Ruostekoski, Janne

2016-05-01

We demonstrate that multiple interaction-dependent defect core structures as well as dynamics of non-Abelian vortices can be realized in the biaxial nematic (BN) phase of a spin-2 atomic Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC). An experimentally simple protocol may be used to break degeneracy with the uniaxial nematic phase. We show that a discrete spin-space symmetry in the core may be reflected in a breaking of its spatial symmetry. The discrete symmetry of the BN order parameter leads to non-commuting vortex charges. We numerically simulate reconnection of non-Abelian vortices, demonstrating formation of the obligatory rung vortex. In addition to atomic BECs, non-Abelian vortices are theorized in, e.g., liquid crystals and cosmic strings. Our results suggest the BN spin-2 BEC as a prime candidate for their realization. We acknowledge financial support from the EPSRC.

The synthesis and characterization of novel brush-type chiral stationary phase based on terpenoid selector for resolution of chiral drugs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wang Dao-Cai

2016-01-01

Full Text Available In the light of the chiral resolution mechanism and structures of brush-type CSP, a new chiral selector 4′-carboxyl-1′-ursolic methyl ester-3β-yl-benzoate has been prepared. Then the terpenoid chiral selector was covalently linked to 3-aminopropyl silica gel. Its structure identification data are provided by 1H NMR, MS and elementary analysis. The enantiodiscriminating capability of the brush-type CSP was evaluated by static adsorption experiment with methyl mandelate, aniline derivative of mandelic acid, benzoin and ibuprofen. Experimental results demonstrated that the chiral selector has selectivity, and the enantiomers of methyl mandelate and ibuprofen could be separated on the CSP, which indicated that the novel brush-type CSP possess a bright prospects for chiral separation potentially.

Copolymerization preparation of cationic cyclodextrin chiral stationary phases for drug enantioseparation in chromatography

OpenAIRE

sprotocols

2015-01-01

Authors: Ren-Qi Wang, Teng-Teng Ong, Ke Huang, Weihua Tang & Siu-Choon Ng ### Abstract We described a facile and effective protocol wherein radical copolymerization is employed to covalently bond cationic β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) onto silica particles with extended linkage, resulting in a chiral stationary phase (IMPCSP) that can be used for the enantioseparation of racemic drugs in both high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC). Starting ...

Enantiomeric separation of type I and type II pyrethroid insecticides with different chiral stationary phases by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Ping; Yu, Qian; He, Xiulong; Qian, Kun; Xiao, Wei; Xu, Zhifeng; Li, Tian; He, Lin

2018-04-01

The enantiomeric separation of type I (bifenthrin, BF) and type II (lambda-cyhalothrin, LCT) pyrethroid insecticides on Lux Cellulose-1, Lux Cellulose-3, and Chiralpak IC chiral columns was investigated by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. Methanol/water or acetonitrile/water was used as mobile phase at a flow rate of 0.8 mL/min. The effects of chiral stationary phase, mobile phase composition, column temperature, and thermodynamic parameters on enantiomer separation were carefully studied. Bifenthrin got a partial separation on Lux Cellulose-1 column and baseline separation on Lux Cellulose-3 column, while LCT enantiomers could be completely separated on both Lux Cellulose-1 and Lux Cellulose-3 columns. Chiralpak IC provided no separation ability for both BF and LCT. Retention factor (k) and selectivity factor (α) decreased with the column temperature increasing from 10°C to 40°C for both BF and LCT enantiomers. Thermodynamic parameters including ∆H and ∆S were also calculated, and the maximum R s were not always obtained at lowest temperature. Furthermore, the quantitative analysis methods for BF and LCT enantiomers in soil and water were also established. Such results provide a new approach for pyrethroid separation under reversed-phase condition and contribute to environmental risk assessment of pyrethroids at enantiomer level. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Polarization-independent nematic liquid crystal waveguides for optofluidic applications

NARCIS (Netherlands)

d'Alessandro, A.; Martini, L.; Gilardi, G.; Beccherelli, R.; Asquini, R.

2015-01-01

We present the fabrication and the characterization of waveguides made of a nematic liquid crystal infiltrated in poly(dimethylsiloxane) channels. They are made by means of cast and molding technique and patterned using soft photolithography. The orientation of the nematic liquid crystal molecules

High performance liquid chromatographic separation of thirteen drugs collected in Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2010(Ch.P2010 on cellulose ramification chiral stationary phase

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ying Zhou

2012-02-01

Full Text Available The enantiomers separation of thirteen drugs collected in Ch.P2010 was performed on chiral stationary phase of cellulose ramification (chiralpak OD and chiralpak OJ by high performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC methods, which included ibuprofen (C1, ketoprofen (C2, nitrendipine (C3, nimodipine (C4, felodipine (C5, omeprazole (C6, praziquantel (C7, propranolol hydrochloride (C8, atenolol (C9, sulpiride (C10, clenbuterol hydrochloride (C11, verapamil hydrochloride (C12, and chlorphenamine maleate (C13. The mobile phase consisted of isopropanol and n-hexane. The detection wavelength was set at 254 nm and the flow rate was 0.7 mL/min. The enantiomers separation of these thirteen racemates on chiralpak OD column and chiralpak OJ column was studied, while the effects of proportion of organic additives, alcohol displacer and temperature on the separation were studied. And the mechanism of some of racemates was discussed. The results indicated that thirteen chiral drugs could be separated on chiral stationary phase of cellulose ramification in normal phase chromatographic system. The chromatographic retention and resolution of enantiomers could be adjusted by factors including column temperature and the concentration of alcohol displacer and organic alkaline modifier in mobile phase. It was shown that the resolution was improved with reducing concentration of alcohol displacer. When concentration of organic alkaline modifier was 0.2% (v/v, the resolution and the peak shape were fairly good. Most racemates mentioned above had better resolution at column temperature of 25 °C. When racemates were separated, the temperature should be kept so as to obtain stable separation results. Keywords: HPLC, Chiral stationary phase, Optical enantiomers, Cellulose ramification

Flicker in a twisted nematic spatial light modulator

Science.gov (United States)

Calderón-Hermosillo, Yuliana; García-Márquez, Jorge; Espinosa-Luna, Rafael; Ochoa, Noé Alcalá; López, Víctor; Aguilar, Alberto; Noé-Arias, Enrique; Alayli, Yasser

2013-06-01

Liquid Crystal on Silicon (LCoS) Spatial Light Modulators (SLM) are widely used for their capability to control beams howbeit fluctuations in phase and amplitude. It is then necessary to understand the negative effects of these fluctuations, also known as flicker, and the means to mitigate them. The flicker is observed either as high frequency variations of polarization, attenuation or high phase fluctuations on the wave front modulated by the LCoS device. Here, we compare the flicker behavior in a twisted nematic (TN) LCoS-SLM for different polarization schemes and temperatures. The quantitative evaluation shows that flicker is effectively reduced only by chilling the LCoS panel to temperatures just below 0 °C but, the LCoS modulation capability is also affected.

Chiral topological insulator of magnons

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Bo; Kovalev, Alexey A.

2018-05-01

We propose a magnon realization of 3D topological insulator in the AIII (chiral symmetry) topological class. The topological magnon gap opens due to the presence of Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interactions. The existence of the topological invariant is established by calculating the bulk winding number of the system. Within our model, the surface magnon Dirac cone is protected by the sublattice chiral symmetry. By analyzing the magnon surface modes, we confirm that the backscattering is prohibited. By weakly breaking the chiral symmetry, we observe the magnon Hall response on the surface due to opening of the gap. Finally, we show that by changing certain parameters, the system can be tuned between the chiral topological insulator, three-dimensional magnon anomalous Hall, and Weyl magnon phases.

Chiral Thirring–Wess model

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rahaman, Anisur, E-mail: anisur.rahman@saha.ac.in

2015-10-15

The vector type of interaction of the Thirring–Wess model was replaced by the chiral type and a new model was presented which was termed as chiral Thirring–Wess model in Rahaman (2015). The model was studied there with a Faddeevian class of regularization. Few ambiguity parameters were allowed there with the apprehension that unitarity might be threatened like the chiral generation of the Schwinger model. In the present work it has been shown that no counter term containing the regularization ambiguity is needed for this model to be physically sensible. So the chiral Thirring–Wess model is studied here without the presence of any ambiguity parameter and it has been found that the model not only remains exactly solvable but also does not lose the unitarity like the chiral generation of the Schwinger model. The phase space structure and the theoretical spectrum of this new model have been determined in the present scenario. The theoretical spectrum is found to contain a massive boson with ambiguity free mass and a massless boson.

Chiral Thirring–Wess model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rahaman, Anisur

2015-01-01

The vector type of interaction of the Thirring–Wess model was replaced by the chiral type and a new model was presented which was termed as chiral Thirring–Wess model in Rahaman (2015). The model was studied there with a Faddeevian class of regularization. Few ambiguity parameters were allowed there with the apprehension that unitarity might be threatened like the chiral generation of the Schwinger model. In the present work it has been shown that no counter term containing the regularization ambiguity is needed for this model to be physically sensible. So the chiral Thirring–Wess model is studied here without the presence of any ambiguity parameter and it has been found that the model not only remains exactly solvable but also does not lose the unitarity like the chiral generation of the Schwinger model. The phase space structure and the theoretical spectrum of this new model have been determined in the present scenario. The theoretical spectrum is found to contain a massive boson with ambiguity free mass and a massless boson

On the equivalence between sine-Gordon model and Thirring model in the chirally broken phase of the Thirring model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Faber, M.; Ivanov, A.N.

2001-01-01

We investigate the equivalence between Thirring model and sine-Gordon model in the chirally broken phase of the Thirring model. This is unlike all other available approaches where the fermion fields of the Thirring model were quantized in the chiral symmetric phase. In the path integral approach we show that the bosonized version of the massless Thirring model is described by a quantum field theory of a massless scalar field and exactly solvable, and the massive Thirring model bosonizes to the sine-Gordon model with a new relation between the coupling constants. We show that the non-perturbative vacuum of the chirally broken phase in the massless Thirring model can be described in complete analogy with the BCS ground state of superconductivity. The Mermin-Wagner theorem and Coleman's statement concerning the absence of Goldstone bosons in the 1+1-dimensional quantum field theories are discussed. We investigate the current algebra in the massless Thirring model and give a new value of the Schwinger term. We show that the topological current in the sine-Gordon model coincides with the Noether current responsible for the conservation of the fermion number in the Thirring model. This allows one to identify the topological charge in the sine-Gordon model with the fermion number. (orig.)

Near-infrared dichroism of a mesogenic transition metal complex and its solubility in nematic hosts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marshall, K.L.; Jacobs, S.D.

1987-01-01

A transition metal complex possessing the nematic phase, bis (p-n-butylstyryl-1, 2-dithiolato) nickel, was synthesized and its optical properties and solubility in the nematic hosts K15 and MBBA were investigated. The metal complex displayed a high solubility in both host materials (up to 10% wt/wt) and a strong near-infrared absorption band centered at 860 nm. A blocking extinction of greater than OD = 3 was obtained with a 100 micron pathlength of a 0.5% wt/wt mixture of the nematic metal complex in K15, suggesting its usefulness for passive blocking of near infrared radiation. A 24 micron thick, homogeneously aligned guest-host cell containing a 1% wt/wt mixture of the metal complex in K15 possessed a contrast ratio of nearly 5:1 and a blocking extinction of OD = 3.5 at 860 nm, demonstrating for the first time the existence of near-infrared dichroism in this class of materials. The solubility and blocking extinction of the mesogenic metal complex in K15 was considerably superior to the non-mesogenic near ir laser dye bis(dimethylaminodithiobenzil) nickel in the same host. An interaction of the nematic metal complex in mixtures with MBBA which resulted in the creation of a new absorption band at 1050 nm was also observed. 21 refs., 9 figs

Laser beam propagation in nematic liquid crystals at the temperature close to the nematicisotropic critical point.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Yu-Jen; Lin, Yu-Sung; Jiang, I-Min; Tsai, Ming-Shan

2008-03-17

This study investigates the optical nonlinearity of beam propagation in homogeneously aligned nematic liquid crystal (NLC) cells at a temperature close to the nematic-isotropic temperature (TNI). The undulate propagation mode with convergent and divergent loops appearing alternately is reported and the thermally enhanced optical reorientation nonlinearity at the focus is described. The optically induced phase transition exists along the pump beam direction. With the application of the conscopic technique, the arrangements of LC at the focus are proposed in this study. Results of this study demonstrate that the evolution of the LC configuration was affected by the pump beam based on the analysis of conoscopic patterns.

Transport properties of chiral fermions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Puhr, Matthias

2017-04-26

Anomalous transport phenomena have their origin in the chiral anomaly, the anomalous non-conservation of the axial charge, and can arise in systems with chiral fermions. The anomalous transport properties of free fermions are well understood, but little is known about possible corrections to the anomalous transport coefficients that can occur if the fermions are strongly interacting. The main goal of this thesis is to study anomalous transport effects in media with strongly interacting fermions. In particular, we investigate the Chiral Magnetic Effect (CME) in a Weyl Semimetal (WSM) and the Chiral Separation Effect (CSE) in finite-density Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD). The recently discovered WSMs are solid state crystals with low-energy excitations that behave like Weyl fermions. The inter-electron interaction in WSMs is typically very strong and non-perturbative calculations are needed to connect theory and experiment. To realistically model an interacting, parity-breaking WSM we use a tight-binding lattice Hamiltonian with Wilson-Dirac fermions. This model features a non-trivial phase diagram and has a phase (Aoki phase/axionic insulator phase) with spontaneously broken CP symmetry, corresponding to the phase with spontaneously broken chiral symmetry for interacting continuum Dirac fermions. We use a mean-field ansatz to study the CME in spatially modulated magnetic fields and find that it vanishes in the Aoki phase. Moreover, our calculations show that outside of the Aoki phase the electron interaction has only a minor influence on the CME. We observe no enhancement of the magnitude of the CME current. For our non-perturbative study of the CSE in QCD we use the framework of lattice QCD with overlap fermions. We work in the quenched approximation to avoid the sign problem that comes with introducing a finite chemical potential on the lattice. The overlap operator calls for the evaluation of the sign function of a matrix with a dimension proportional to the volume

Ultrasound and orientational relaxation of nematic liquid crystals at high pressure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khabibullaev, P.K.; Oribjonov, Kh.J.; Lagunov, A.S.

2004-01-01

The acoustic properties of the nematic liquid crystal N-96 and its benzene solution in anisotropic phase are investigated in rotational magnetic field. The effects of concentration, temperature, pressure, and frequency of magnetic field rotation on ultrasonic absorption anisotropy are studied. Critical frequency values are experimentally determined. The relationship between the diamagnetic susceptibility anisotropy rotational viscosities was calculated, and its dependences on the pressure and temperature are also discussed. (author)

Thiol-ene click chemistry derived cationic cyclodextrin chiral stationary phase and its enhanced separation performance in liquid chromatography.

Science.gov (United States)

Yao, Xiaobin; Tan, Timothy Thatt Yang; Wang, Yong

2014-01-24

This work is the first demonstration of a simple thiol-ene click chemistry to anchor vinyl imidazolium β-CD onto thiol silica to form a novel cationic native cyclodextrin (CD) chiral stationary phase (CSP). The CSP afforded high enantioseparation ability towards dansyl (Dns) amino acids, carboxylic aryl compounds and flavonoids in chiral HPLC. The current CSP demonstrates the highest resolving ability (selectivity >1.1, resolution >1.5) towards Dns amino acids in a mobile phase buffered at pH=6.5, with the resolution of Dns-dl-leucine as high as 6.97. 2,4-dichloride propionic acid (2,4-ClPOPA) was well resolved with the selectivity and resolution of 1.37 and 4.88, respectively. Compared to a previously reported native CD-CSP based on a triazole linkage, the current cationic CD-CSP shows a stronger retention and higher resolution towards acidic chiral compounds, ascribed to the propitious strong electrostatic attraction. Stability evaluation results indicated that thiol-ene reaction can provide a facile and robust approach for the preparation of positively charged CD CSPs. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Water-Soluble Phosphine-Protected Au₁₁ Clusters: Synthesis, Electronic Structure, and Chiral Phase Transfer in a Synergistic Fashion.

Science.gov (United States)

Yao, Hiroshi; Iwatsu, Mana

2016-04-05

Synthesis of atomically precise, water-soluble phosphine-protected gold clusters is still currently limited probably due to a stability issue. We here present the synthesis, magic-number isolation, and exploration of the electronic structures as well as the asymmetric conversion of triphenylphosphine monosulfonate (TPPS)-protected gold clusters. Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry and elemental analysis result in the primary formation of Au11(TPPS)9Cl undecagold cluster compound. Magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) spectroscopy clarifies that extremely weak transitions are present in the low-energy region unresolved in the UV-vis absorption, which can be due to the Faraday B-terms based on the magnetically allowed transitions in the cluster. Asymmetric conversion without changing the nuclearity is remarkable by the chiral phase transfer in a synergistic fashion, which yields a rather small anisotropy factor (g-factor) of at most (2.5-7.0) × 10(-5). Quantum chemical calculations for model undecagold cluster compounds are then used to evaluate the optical and chiroptical responses induced by the chiral phase transfer. On this basis, we find that the Au core distortion is ignorable, and the chiral ion-pairing causes a slight increase in the CD response of the Au11 cluster.

Biaxiality in Nematic and Smectic Liquid Crystals. Final Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kumar, Satyendra [Kent State Univ., Kent, OH (United States); Li, Quan [Kent State Univ., Kent, OH (United States); Srinivasarao, Mohan [Georgia Inst. of Technology, Atlanta, GA (United States); Agra-Kooijman, Dena M. [Kent State Univ., Kent, OH (United States); Rey, Alejandro [McGill Univ., Montreal, QC (Canada)

2017-01-24

During the award period, the project team explored several phenomena in a diverse group of soft condensed matter systems. These include understanding of the structure of the newly discovered twist-bend nematic phase, solving the mystery of de Vries smectic phases, probing of interesting associations and defect structures in chromonic liquid crystalline systems, dispersions of ferroelectric nanoparticles in smectic liquid crystals, investigations of newly synthesized light sensitive and energy harvesting materials with highly desirable transport properties. Our findings are summarized in the following report followed by a list of 36 publications and 37 conference presentations. We achieved this with the support of Basic Sciences Division of the US DOE for which we are thankful.

Chiral phase transition at finite chemical potential in 2 +1 -flavor soft-wall anti-de Sitter space QCD

Science.gov (United States)

Bartz, Sean P.; Jacobson, Theodore

2018-04-01

The phase transition from hadronic matter to chirally symmetric quark-gluon plasma is expected to be a rapid crossover at zero quark chemical potential (μ ), becoming first order at some finite value of μ , indicating the presence of a critical point. Using a three-flavor soft-wall model of anti-de Sitter/QCD, we investigate the effect of varying the light and strange quark masses on the order of the chiral phase transition. At zero quark chemical potential, we reproduce the Columbia Plot, which summarizes the results of lattice QCD and other holographic models. We then extend this holographic model to examine the effects of finite quark chemical potential. We find that the the chemical potential does not affect the critical line that separates first-order from rapid crossover transitions. This excludes the possibility of a critical point in this model, suggesting that a different setup is necessary to reproduce all the features of the QCD phase diagram.

Chirality in adsorption on solid surfaces.

Science.gov (United States)

Zaera, Francisco

2017-12-07

In the present review we survey the main advances made in recent years on the understanding of chemical chirality at solid surfaces. Chirality is an important topic, made particularly relevant by the homochiral nature of the biochemistry of life on Earth, and many chiral chemical reactions involve solid surfaces. Here we start our discussion with a description of surface chirality and of the different ways that chirality can be bestowed on solid surfaces. We then expand on the studies carried out to date to understand the adsorption of chiral compounds at a molecular level. We summarize the work published on the adsorption of pure enantiomers, of enantiomeric mixtures, and of prochiral molecules on chiral and achiral model surfaces, especially on well-defined metal single crystals but also on other flat substrates such as highly ordered pyrolytic graphite. Several phenomena are identified, including surface reconstruction and chiral imprinting upon adsorption of chiral agents, and the enhancement or suppression of enantioselectivity seen in some cases upon adsorption of enantiomixtures of chiral compounds. The possibility of enhancing the enantiopurity of adsorbed layers upon the addition of chiral seeds and the so-called "sergeants and soldiers" phenomenon are presented. Examples are provided where the chiral behavior has been associated with either thermodynamic or kinetic driving forces. Two main approaches to the creation of enantioselective surface sites are discussed, namely, via the formation of supramolecular chiral ensembles made out of small chiral adsorbates, and by adsorption of more complex chiral molecules capable of providing suitable chiral environments for reactants by themselves, via the formation of individual adsorbate:modifier adducts on the surface. Finally, a discussion is offered on the additional effects generated by the presence of the liquid phase often required in practical applications such as enantioselective crystallization, chiral

Evidence for a jacketed nematic polymer

Science.gov (United States)

Hardouin, F.; Mery, S.; Achard, M. F.; Noirez, L.; Keller, P.

1991-05-01

The evidence for a “jacketed” structure at the scale of the chain dimensions in the nematic phase of a “side-on fixed” liquid crystal polysiloxane is reported by using small angle neutron scattering. We relate this anisotropy of chain conformation to the first measurements of the rotational viscosity coefficient in this new type of liquid crystal side-chain polymer. Par des mesures de diffusion des neutrons aux petits angles nous montrons l'existence, pour un polysiloxane “ en haltère ”, d'une structure “ chemisée ” à l'échelle de l'organisation global d'une chaîne en phase nématique. On constate que cette anisotropie de forme du polymère a des conséquences sur l'évolution du coefficient de viscosité de torsion mesuré pour la première fois dans ce nouveau type de polymère à chaînes latérales.

Chiral thermodynamics of nuclear matter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fiorilla, Salvatore

2012-01-01

The equation of state of nuclear matter is calculated at finite temperature in the framework of in-medium chiral perturbation theory up to three-loop order. The dependence of its thermodynamic properties on the isospin-asymmetry is investigated. The chiral quark condensate is evaluated for symmetric nuclear matter. Its behaviour as a function of density and temperature sets important nuclear physics constraints for the QCD phase diagram.

Chiral thermodynamics of nuclear matter

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fiorilla, Salvatore

2012-10-23

The equation of state of nuclear matter is calculated at finite temperature in the framework of in-medium chiral perturbation theory up to three-loop order. The dependence of its thermodynamic properties on the isospin-asymmetry is investigated. The chiral quark condensate is evaluated for symmetric nuclear matter. Its behaviour as a function of density and temperature sets important nuclear physics constraints for the QCD phase diagram.

Macroscopic chirality of a liquid crystal from nonchiral molecules

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jakli, A.; Nair, G. G.; Lee, C. K.; Sun, R.; Chien, L. C.

2001-01-01

The transfer of chirality from nonchiral polymer networks to the racemic B2 phase of nonchiral banana-shaped molecules is demonstrated. This corresponds to the transfer of chirality from an achiral material to another achiral material. There are two levels of chirality transfers. (a) On a microscopic level the presence of a polymer network (chiral or nonchiral) favors a chiral state over a thermodynamically stable racemic state due to the inversion symmetry breaking at the polymer-liquid crystal interfaces. (b) A macroscopically chiral (enantimerically enriched) sample can be produced if the polymer network has a helical structure, and/or contains chemically chiral groups. The chirality transfer can be locally suppressed by exposing the liquid crystal to a strong electric field treatment

In Silico Measurement of Elastic Moduli of Nematic Liquid Crystals

Science.gov (United States)

Sidky, Hythem; de Pablo, Juan J.; Whitmer, Jonathan K.

2018-03-01

Experiments on confined droplets of the nematic liquid crystal 5CB have questioned long-established bounds imposed on the elastic free energy of nematic systems. This elasticity, which derives from molecular alignment within nematic systems, is quantified through a set of moduli which can be difficult to measure experimentally and, in some cases, can only be probed indirectly. This is particularly true of the surfacelike saddle-splay elastic term, for which the available experimental data indicate values on the cusp of stability, often with large uncertainties. Here, we demonstrate that all nematic elastic moduli, including the saddle-splay elastic constant k24, may be calculated directly from atomistic molecular simulations. Importantly, results obtained through in silico measurements of the 5CB elastic properties demonstrate unambiguously that saddle-splay elasticity alone is unable to describe the observed confined morphologies.

Applications of chiral symmetry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pisarski, R.D.

1995-03-01

The author discusses several topics in the applications of chiral symmetry at nonzero temperature. First, where does the rho go? The answer: up. The restoration of chiral symmetry at a temperature T χ implies that the ρ and a 1 vector mesons are degenerate in mass. In a gauged linear sigma model the ρ mass increases with temperature, m ρ (T χ ) > m ρ (0). The author conjectures that at T χ the thermal ρ - a 1 , peak is relatively high, at about ∼1 GeV, with a width approximately that at zero temperature (up to standard kinematic factors). The ω meson also increases in mass, nearly degenerate with the ρ, but its width grows dramatically with temperature, increasing to at least ∼100 MeV by T χ . The author also stresses how utterly remarkable the principle of vector meson dominance is, when viewed from the modern perspective of the renormalization group. Secondly, he discusses the possible appearance of disoriented chiral condensates from open-quotes quenchedclose quotes heavy ion collisions. It appears difficult to obtain large domains of disoriented chiral condensates in the standard two flavor model. This leads to the last topic, which is the phase diagram for QCD with three flavors, and its proximity to the chiral critical point. QCD may be very near this chiral critical point, and one might thereby generated large domains of disoriented chiral condensates

Quenched QED in the chiral limit

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vandermark, S.W.

1993-01-01

The main goal in this project has been to understand, through analytical methods, whether there could be a continuum limit for QED. This possibility is motivated by recent lattice simulations on quenched QED which apparently exhibit a chiral phase transition at strong coupling in the chiral limit. Another goal is to develop a novel perturbation expansion which may also be usefully applied to other theories. The author begins with the general expression for the chiral order parameter, (bar ψψ), in the quenched limit of euclidean QED, where the number of fermion flavors goes to zero, using the path integral formulation. A cutoff scale, Λ, is introduced into the photon propagator and a new expansion, the open-quotes wormhole expansion,close quotes in powers of Λ 2 /m 2 , where m is the fermion mass, is derived. Graphical rules for the wormhole expansion of left-angle bar ψψ right-angle are described in detail. The author then devises algorithms to generate recursively the graphs at each successive order and to perform the loop momentum integral and γ matrix trace involved in the evaluation of each graph. These algorithms are implemented in Mathmatica and the left-angle bar ψψ right-angle expansion is carried out to order (Λ 2 / m 2 ) 6 . The author employs pade techniques to extrapolate this expansion to the chiral limit (Λ 2 /m 2 → ∞) and looks for a singularity at strong coupling to signal a phase transition. Indications have been found that there may be a phase transition but apparently there are not enough terms in the wormhole expansion to attain stability in our pade analysis. The author therefore cannot conclude that there is a chiral phase transition, although the results are consistent with the existence of one

Application of cyanuric chloride-based six new chiral derivatizing reagents having amino acids and amino acid amides as chiral auxiliaries for enantioresolution of proteinogenic amino acids by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography.

Science.gov (United States)

Bhushan, Ravi; Dixit, Shuchi

2012-04-01

Six dichloro-s-triazine (DCT) reagents having L-Leu, D-Phg, L-Val, L-Met, L-Ala and L-Met-NH(2) as chiral auxiliaries in cyanuric chloride were introduced for enantioseparation of 13 proteinogenic amino acids. Four other DCTs and six monochloro-s-triazine (MCT) reagents having amino acid amides as chiral auxiliaries were also synthesized. These 16 chiral derivatizing reagents (CDRs) were used for synthesis of diastereomers of all the 13 analytes using microwave irradiation, which were resolved by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) using C18 column and gradient eluting mixture of aqueous TFA and acetonitrile with UV detection at 230 nm. It required only 60-90 s for derivatization using microwave irradiation. Better resolution and lower retention times were observed for the diastereomers prepared with CDRs having amino acids as chiral auxiliaries as compared to counterparts prepared with reagents having amino acid amides as chiral auxiliaries. As the best resolution of all the 13 analytes was observed for their diastereomers prepared using the DCT reagent having L-Leu as chiral auxiliary, this CDR was further employed for derivatization of Lys, Tyr, His and Arg followed by RP-HPLC analysis of resulting diastereomers. The results are discussed in light of acid and amide groups of chiral auxiliaries constituting CDRs, electronegativities of the atoms of achiral moieties constituting CDRs and hydrophobicities of side chains of amino acids constituting CDRs and analytes.

Anomalous dimension, chiral phase transition and inverse magnetic catalysis in soft-wall AdS/QCD

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fang, Zhen, E-mail: fangzhen@itp.ac.cn [Key Laboratory of Theoretical Physics, Institute of Theoretical Physics, Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing 100190 (China); University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing (China)

2016-07-10

A modified soft-wall AdS/QCD model with a z-dependent bulk scalar mass is proposed. We argue for the necessity of a modified bulk scalar mass from the quark mass anomalous dimension and carefully constrain the form of bulk mass by the corresponding UV and IR asymptotics. After fixing the form of bulk scalar mass, we calculate the mass spectra of (axial-)vector and pseudoscalar mesons, which have a good agreement with the experimental data. The behavior of chiral phase transition is also investigated, and the results are consistent with the standard scenario and lattice simulations. Finally, the issue of chiral magnetic effects is addressed. We find that the inverse magnetic catalysis emerges naturally from the modified soft-wall model, which is consistent with the recent lattice simulations.

Chiral ionic liquids in chromatographic and electrophoretic separations.

Science.gov (United States)

Kapnissi-Christodoulou, Constantina P; Stavrou, Ioannis J; Mavroudi, Maria C

2014-10-10

This report provides an overview of the application of chiral ionic liquids (CILs) in separation technology, and particularly in capillary electrophoresis and both gas and liquid chromatography. There is a large number of CILs that have been synthesized and designed as chiral agents. However, only a few have successfully been applied in separation technology. Even though this application of CILs is still in its early stages, the scientific interest is increasing dramatically. This article is focused on the use of CILs as chiral selectors, background electrolyte additives, chiral ligands and chiral stationary phases in electrophoretic and chromatographic techniques. Different examples of CILs, which contain either a chiral cation, a chiral anion or both, are presented in this review article, and their major advantages along with their potential applications in chiral electrophoretic and chromatographic recognition are discussed. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Nuclear chiral dynamics and thermodynamics

Science.gov (United States)

Holt, Jeremy W.; Kaiser, Norbert; Weise, Wolfram

2013-11-01

This presentation reviews an approach to nuclear many-body systems based on the spontaneously broken chiral symmetry of low-energy QCD. In the low-energy limit, for energies and momenta small compared to a characteristic symmetry breaking scale of order 1 GeV, QCD is realized as an effective field theory of Goldstone bosons (pions) coupled to heavy fermionic sources (nucleons). Nuclear forces at long and intermediate distance scales result from a systematic hierarchy of one- and two-pion exchange processes in combination with Pauli blocking effects in the nuclear medium. Short distance dynamics, not resolved at the wavelengths corresponding to typical nuclear Fermi momenta, are introduced as contact interactions between nucleons. Apart from a set of low-energy constants associated with these contact terms, the parameters of this theory are entirely determined by pion properties and low-energy pion-nucleon scattering observables. This framework (in-medium chiral perturbation theory) can provide a realistic description of both isospin-symmetric nuclear matter and neutron matter, with emphasis on the isospin-dependence determined by the underlying chiral NN interaction. The importance of three-body forces is emphasized, and the role of explicit Δ(1232)-isobar degrees of freedom is investigated in detail. Nuclear chiral thermodynamics is developed and a calculation of the nuclear phase diagram is performed. This includes a successful description of the first-order phase transition from a nuclear Fermi liquid to an interacting Fermi gas and the coexistence of these phases below a critical temperature Tc. Density functional methods for finite nuclei based on this approach are also discussed. Effective interactions, their density dependence and connections to Landau Fermi liquid theory are outlined. Finally, the density and temperature dependences of the chiral (quark) condensate are investigated.

Study of the chain conformation of thermotropic nematic main chain polyesters

Science.gov (United States)

Li, M. H.; Brûlet, A.; Cotton, J. P.; Davidson, P.; Strazielle, C.; Keller, P.

1994-10-01

The conformation of main chain mesomorphic polyesters is studied by small angle neutron scattering (SANS) in the isotropic and in the nematic phases, by using mixtures of deuterated and undeuterated polymers. Particular attention is given to neglect the transesterification effects occurring mainly at high temperature for these LC polymers. In the isotropic phase, despite the presence of long rigid mesogenic groups, the LC polyester chains have a Gaussian conformation shown by the variation of the radius of gyration as a function of the molecular weight. This result is confirmed from the scattering variation in the intermediate range of the scattering vector. In the nematic phase, the SANS data are well fitted to a model of cylinder, in which the main chain polymer is confined. In the unoriented phase, the measurements in the intermediate range give the values of the radii of cylinders : they lie in between 10 Å and 19 Å depending on the degree of polymerization of chains. In the oriented nematic phase, the scattering patterns are highly anisotropic : they correspond to very long, thin and well-oriented cylinders. We have calculated the fully extended chain lengths using for the monomer length that measured in situ by X-ray diffraction. Then the comparison of this length with the measured height of the cylinders gives the existence of hairpins and their number per chain. For the short chain, the conformation is almost completely elongated in the nematic direction, whereas hairpin defects appear in longer chains. Their number decreases slightly with decreasing temperature. The orientational fluctuations of cylinders relatively to the nematic director are weak as shown from the high values of their order parameter (P_2 > 0.9). These results are discussed for two spacer lengths as a function of the molecular weight and of the temperature. La conformation de polyesters linéaires mésomorphes est étudiée par diffusion de neutrons aux petits angles (DNPA) dans les

Chiral near-fields around chiral dolmen nanostructure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fu, Tong; Wang, Tiankun; Chen, Yuyan; Wang, Yongkai; Qu, Yu; Zhang, Zhongyue

2017-01-01

Discriminating the handedness of the chiral molecule is of great importance in the field of pharmacology and biomedicine. Enhancing the chiral near-field is one way to increase the chiral signal of chiral molecules. In this paper, the chiral dolmen nanostructure (CDN) is proposed to enhance the chiral near-field. Numerical results show that the CDN can increase the optical chirality of the near-field by almost two orders of magnitude compared to that of a circularly polarized incident wave. In addition, the optical chirality of the near-field of the bonding mode is enhanced more than that of the antibonding mode. These results provide an effective method for tailoring the chiral near-field for biophotonics sensors. (paper)

Probing molecular chirality by coherent optical absorption spectra

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jia, W. Z. [Quantum Optoelectronics Laboratory, School of Physics and Technology, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 610031 (China); Wei, L. F. [Quantum Optoelectronics Laboratory, School of Physics and Technology, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 610031 (China); State Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Materials and Technologies, School of Physics and Engineering, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275 (China)

2011-11-15

We propose an approach to sensitively probe the chirality of molecules by measuring their coherent optical-absorption spectra. It is shown that quantum dynamics of the cyclic three-level chiral molecules driven by appropriately designed external fields is total-phase dependent. This will result in chirality-dependent absorption spectra for the probe field. As a consequence, the charality-dependent information in the spectra (such as the locations and relative heights of the characteristic absorption peaks) can be utilized to identify molecular chirality and determinate enantiomer excess (i.e., the percentages of different enantiomers). The feasibility of the proposal with chiral molecules confined in hollow-core photonic crystal fiber is also discussed.

Post-Tanner spreading of nematic droplets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mechkov, S; Oshanin, G; Cazabat, A M

2009-01-01

The quasistationary spreading of a circular liquid drop on a solid substrate typically obeys the so-called Tanner law, with the instantaneous base radius R(t) growing with time as R∼t 1/10 -an effect of the dominant role of capillary forces for a small-sized droplet. However, for droplets of nematic liquid crystals, a faster spreading law sets in at long times, so that R∼t α with α significantly larger than the Tanner exponent 1/10. In the framework of the thin film model (or lubrication approximation), we describe this 'acceleration' as a transition to a qualitatively different spreading regime driven by a strong substrate-liquid interaction specific to nematics (antagonistic anchoring at the interfaces). The numerical solution of the thin film equation agrees well with the available experimental data for nematics, even though the non-Newtonian rheology has yet to be taken into account. Thus we complement the theory of spreading with a post-Tanner stage, noting that the spreading process can be expected to cross over from the usual capillarity-dominated stage to a regime where the whole reservoir becomes a diffusive film in the sense of Derjaguin.

Analytical and semipreparative chiral separation of cis-itraconazole on cellulose stationary phases by high-performance liquid chromatography.

Science.gov (United States)

Kurka, Ondřej; Kučera, Lukáš; Bednář, Petr

2016-07-01

cis-Itraconazole is a chiral antifungal drug administered as a racemate. The knowledge of properties of individual cis-itraconazole stereoisomers is vital information for medicine and biosciences as different stereoisomers of cis-itraconazole may possess different affinity to certain biological pathways in the human body. For this purpose, either chiral synthesis of enantiomers or chiral separation of racemate can be used. This paper presents a two-step high-performance liquid chromatography approach for the semipreparative isolation of four stereoisomers (two enantiomeric pairs) of itraconazole using polysaccharide stationary phases and volatile organic mobile phases without additives in isocratic mode. The approach used involves the separation of the racemate into three fractions (i.e. two pure stereoisomers and one mixed fraction containing the remaining two stereoisomers) in the first run and consequent separation of the collected mixed fraction in the second one. For this purpose, combination of cellulose tris-(4-methylbenzoate) and cellulose tris-(3,5-dimehylphenylcarbamate) columns with complementary selectivity for cis-itraconazole provided full separation of all four stereoisomers (with purity of each isomer > 97%). The stereoisomers were collected, their optical rotation determined and their identity confirmed based on the results of a previously published study. Pure separated stereoisomers are subjected to further biological studies. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Domain Structures in Nematic Liquid Crystals on a Polycarbonate Surface

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vasily F. Shabanov

2013-08-01

Full Text Available Alignment of nematic liquid crystals on polycarbonate films obtained with the use of solvents with different solvations is studied. Domain structures occurring during the growth on the polymer surface against the background of the initial thread-like or schlieren texture are demonstrated. It is established by optical methods that the domains are stable formations visualizing the polymer surface structures. In nematic droplets, the temperature-induced transition from the domain structure with two extinction bands to the structure with four bands is observed. This transition is shown to be caused by reorientation of the nematic director in the liquid crystal volume from the planar alignment to the homeotropic state with the pronounced radial configuration of nematic molecules on the surface. The observed textures are compared with different combinations of the volume LC orientations and the radial distribution of the director field and the disclination lines at the polycarbonate surface.

Mechanical separation of chiral dipoles by chiral light

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Canaguier-Durand, Antoine; Hutchison, James A; Genet, Cyriaque; Ebbesen, Thomas W

2013-01-01

We calculate optical forces and torques exerted on a chiral dipole by chiral light fields and reveal genuine chiral forces in combining the chiral contents of both light field and dipolar matter. Here, the optical chirality is characterized in a general way through the definition of optical chirality density and chirality flow. We show, in particular, that both terms have mechanical effects associated, respectively, with reactive and dissipative components of the chiral forces. Remarkably, these chiral force components are directly related to standard observables: optical rotation for the reactive component and circular dichroism for the dissipative one. As a consequence, the resulting forces and torques are dependent on the enantiomeric form of the chiral dipole. This suggests promising strategies for using chiral light forces to mechanically separate chiral objects according to their enantiomeric form. (paper)

Multiple Order Diffractions by laser-Injured Transient Grating in Nematic MBBA Film

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Seong Kyu; Kim, Hack Jin

1999-01-01

The laser-induced transient grating method is applied to study the dynamics of the nematic MBBA film. The nanosecond laser pulses of 355 nm are used to make the transient grating and the cw He-Ne laser of 633 nm is used to probe the dynamics. Strong multiple order diffractions are observed at high nematic temperatures. The reordering process induced by the phototransformed state, which is the locally melted state from the nematic sample, is attributed to the main origin of the multiple order diffractions from the nematic MBBA. The characteristics of the multiple order gratings are discussed with the grating profiles simulated from the multiple diffraction signals

Biaxial and antiferroelectric structure of the orthogonal smectic phase of a bent-shaped molecule and helical structure in a chiral mixture system

Science.gov (United States)

Kang, Sungmin; Nguyen, Ha; Nakajima, Shunpei; Tokita, Masatoshi; Watanabe, Junji

2013-05-01

We examined the biaxial and antiferroelectric properties in the Smectic-APA (Sm-APA) phase of bent-shaped DC-S-8. The biaxiality, which results from the existence of a secondary director, was well established from birefringence observations in the homeotropically aligned Sm-APA. By entering into Sm-APA phase, the birefringence (Δn, difference between two refractive indices of short axes) continuously increased from 0 to 0.02 with decreasing temperature. The antiferroelectric switching and second harmonic generation (SHG) activity on the field-on state were also observed in the Sm-APA phase, and the evaluated spontaneous polarization (PS) value strongly depended on temperature. The temperature dependence of Δn and PS resembles each other and follows Haller's approximation, showing that the biaxiality is due to polar packing in which the molecules are preferentially packed with their bent direction arranged in the same direction, and that the phase transition of Sm-APA to Sm-A is second order. The biaxiality was further examined in chiral Sm-APA*. Doping with chiral components induced the helical twisting of the secondary director in the Sm-APA* phase, which was confirmed by observing the reflection of the circular dichroism (CD) bands in the homeotropically aligned cell. The helical pitch of Sm-APA* is tunable in the range of 300-700 nm wavelength with a variation in the chiral content of 5 to 10 weight (wt)%.

Flexible polymers in a nematic medium : a Monte Carlo simulation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vliet, J.H. van; Luyten, M.C.; Brinke, G. ten

Monte Carlo simulations of self-avoiding random walks surrounded by aligned rods on a square lattice and a simple cubic lattice were performed to address the topological constraints involved for dilute solutions of flexible polymers in a highly oriented nematic solvent. The nematic constraint

e +e- modes and U(1) spontaneous chiral symmetry breaking

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Steininger, K.

1992-01-01

In this paper, motivated by evidence for a chiral phase transition in strong coupling lattice QED, the authors calculate the two-particle spectrum of the broken QED phase. This is done in the framework of a Nambu and Jona-Lasinio model with U(1) symmetry including chiral symmetry and symmetry breaking properties of QED. The second order chiral phase transition behavior in our model and in lattice QED are in excellent agreement. The authors then present a detailed analysis of the spectra of the e + e - modes in the broken phase. The authors examine whether these modes have any possible relationship to the narrow e + e - resonances found in soft heavy ion collisions at GSL. The authors' answer is negative

Negative stiffness and modulated states in active nematics

OpenAIRE

Srivastava, Pragya; Mishra, Prashant; Marchetti, M. Cristina

2016-01-01

We examine the dynamics of a compressible active nematic liquid crystal on a frictional substrate. When frictional damping dominates over viscous dissipation, we eliminate flow in favor of active stresses to obtain a minimal dynamical model for the nematic order parameter, with elastic constants renormalized by activity. The renormalized elastic constants can become negative at large activity, leading to the selection of spatially inhomogeneous patterns via a mechanism analogous to that respo...

Study of uniaxial nematic lyomesophases by x-ray diffraction and auxiliary techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bittencourt, D.R.S.

1986-01-01

The uniaxial lyotropic nematic liquid crystals made of amphiphile/water/decanol/salt have been studied. The amphiphiles sodium decyl sulphate and sodium dodecil sulphate have been used. Characterization of samples conditioned in plane and cylindrical cells has been made by orthoscopic polarized optical microscopy (OM) and X.ray diffraction (XD) by observation of orientation under surface and magnetic field effects. It was possible to determine the director orientation of uniaxial discotic (N D ) and cylindrical (N C ) samples under surface and magnetic effects by both OM and XD techniques in independent ways. The homologous amphiphilies sodium octil, decil and dodecil sulfate, in powder form, have been studied by Debye-Scherrer technique. Observed reflexions have been indexed and crystallographic parameters determined. Good agreement between calculated and measured densities has been obtained. A crysostat for temperature variation in the interval- 10 0 /60 0 has been constructed, XD diagrams has been obtained for sodium decil sulfate samples allowing determination of phase transitions of two systems. Scattering curves at room temperatures have been obtained in a small-angle X-ray diffractometer. Analysis of profiles allowed determination of short range positional order and correlation ranges. Interference function between scattering objects have been obtained using structural models for the micelles of the uniaxial nematic phases. (author) [pt

Hamiltonian lattice studies of chiral meson field theories

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chin, S.A.

1998-01-01

The latticization of the non-linear sigma model reduces a chiral meson field theory to an O(4) spin lattice system with quantum fluctuations. The result is an interesting marriage between quantum many-body theory and classical spin systems. By solving the resulting lattice Hamiltonian by Monte Carlo methods, the dynamics and thermodynamics of pions can be determined non-perturbatively. In a variational 16 3 lattice study, the ground state chiral phase transition is shown to be first order. Moreover, as the chiral phase transition is approached, the mass gap of pionic collective modes with quantum number of the ω vector meson drops toward zero. (Copyright (1998) World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd)

Competitive chiral induction in a 2D molecular assembly: Intrinsic chirality versus coadsorber-induced chirality.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Ting; Li, Shu-Ying; Wang, Dong; Wan, Li-Jun

2017-11-01

Noncovalently introducing stereogenic information is a promising approach to embed chirality in achiral molecular systems. However, the interplay of the noncovalently introduced chirality with the intrinsic chirality of molecules or molecular aggregations has rarely been addressed. We report a competitive chiral expression of the noncovalent interaction-mediated chirality induction and the intrinsic stereogenic center-controlled chirality induction in a two-dimensional (2D) molecular assembly at the liquid/solid interface. Two enantiomorphous honeycomb networks are formed by the coassembly of an achiral 5-(benzyloxy)isophthalic acid (BIC) derivative and 1-octanol at the liquid/solid interface. The preferential formation of the globally homochiral assembly can be achieved either by using the chiral analog of 1-octanol, ( S )-6-methyl-1-octanol, as a chiral coadsorber to induce chirality to the BIC assembly via noncovalent hydrogen bonding or by covalently linking a chiral center in the side chain of BIC. Both the chiral coadsorber and the intrinsically chiral BIC derivative can act as a chiral seeds to induce a preferred handedness in the assembly of the achiral BIC derivatives. Furthermore, the noncovalent interaction-mediated chirality induction can restrain or even overrule the manifestation of the intrinsic chirality of the BIC molecule and dominate the handedness of the 2D molecular coassembly. This study provides insight into the interplay of intrinsically chiral centers and external chiral coadsorbers in the chiral induction, transfer, and amplification processes of 2D molecular assembly.

Indication for a chiral phase in the molecular magnetic chain Gd(hfac)3NiTiPr by specific heat and μ+SR measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lascialfari, A.; Ullu, R.; Affronte, M.; Cinti, F.; Caneschi, A.; Gatteschi, D.; Rovai, D.; Pini, M.G.; Rettori, A.

2004-01-01

Specific heat and muon spin relaxation (μ + SR) measurements performed in the molecular magnetic chain Gd(hfac) 3 NiTiPr provide indication for the onset, at T 0 =2.08 K, of a phase with chiral order in the absence of long-range helical order. Specific heat data (probing the chirality-chirality correlation function) show a peak at T 0 that disappears upon application of a 5 T magnetic field, while μ + SR data (probing the spin-spin correlation function) do not present any anomaly at T 0 nor oscillations in the asymmetry curve below T 0

Chiral Gold Nanoclusters: Atomic Level Origins of Chirality.

Science.gov (United States)

Zeng, Chenjie; Jin, Rongchao

2017-08-04

Chiral nanomaterials have received wide interest in many areas, but the exact origin of chirality at the atomic level remains elusive in many cases. With recent significant progress in atomically precise gold nanoclusters (e.g., thiolate-protected Au n (SR) m ), several origins of chirality have been unveiled based upon atomic structures determined by using single-crystal X-ray crystallography. The reported chiral Au n (SR) m structures explicitly reveal a predominant origin of chirality that arises from the Au-S chiral patterns at the metal-ligand interface, as opposed to the chiral arrangement of metal atoms in the inner core (i.e. kernel). In addition, chirality can also be introduced by a chiral ligand, manifested in the circular dichroism response from metal-based electronic transitions other than the ligand's own transition(s). Lastly, the chiral arrangement of carbon tails of the ligands has also been discovered in a very recent work on chiral Au 133 (SR) 52 and Au 246 (SR) 80 nanoclusters. Overall, the origins of chirality discovered in Au n (SR) m nanoclusters may provide models for the understanding of chirality origins in other types of nanomaterials and also constitute the basis for the development of various applications of chiral nanoparticles. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Identification of regioisomers and enantiomers of triacylglycerols in different yeasts using reversed- and chiral-phase LC–MS

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Řezanka, Tomáš; Kolouchová, I.; Čejková, A.; Cajthaml, Tomáš; Sigler, Karel

2013-01-01

Roč. 36, č. 20 (2013), s. 3310-3320 ISSN 1615-9306 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GAP503/11/0215 Institutional support: RVO:61388971 Keywords : Atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry * Chiral LC * Reversed phase LC Subject RIV: EE - Microbiology, Virology Impact factor: 2.594, year: 2013

On the strength of the U{sub A}(1) anomaly at the chiral phase transition in N{sub f}=2 QCD

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brandt, Bastian B. [Institut für Theoretische Physik, Goethe-Universität,D-60438 Frankfurt am Main (Germany); Institut für theoretische Physik, Universität Regensburg,D-93040 Regensburg (Germany); Francis, Anthony [Department of Physics & Astronomy, York University,4700 Keele St, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3 (Canada); Meyer, Harvey B. [PRISMA Cluster of Excellence, Institut für Kernphysik and Helmholtz Institut Mainz,Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, D-55099 Mainz (Germany); Philipsen, Owe [Institut für Theoretische Physik, Goethe-Universität,D-60438 Frankfurt am Main (Germany); Robaina, Daniel; Wittig, Hartmut [PRISMA Cluster of Excellence, Institut für Kernphysik and Helmholtz Institut Mainz,Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, D-55099 Mainz (Germany)

2016-12-30

We study the thermal transition of QCD with two degenerate light flavours by lattice simulations using O(a)-improved Wilson quarks. Temperature scans are performed at a fixed value of N{sub t}=(aT){sup −1}=16, where a is the lattice spacing and T the temperature, at three fixed zero-temperature pion masses between 200 MeV and 540 MeV. In this range we find that the transition is consistent with a broad crossover. As a probe of the restoration of chiral symmetry, we study the static screening spectrum. We observe a degeneracy between the transverse isovector vector and axial-vector channels starting from the transition temperature. Particularly striking is the strong reduction of the splitting between isovector scalar and pseudoscalar screening masses around the chiral phase transition by at least a factor of three compared to its value at zero temperature. In fact, the splitting is consistent with zero within our uncertainties. This disfavours a chiral phase transition in the O(4) universality class.

Chiral separation of α-cyclohexylmandelic acid enantiomers by high-speed counter-current chromatography with biphasic recognition

Science.gov (United States)

Tong, Shengqiang

2010-01-01

This work concentrates on a novel chiral separation technology named biphasic recognition applied to resolution of α-cyclohexylmandelic acid enantiomers by high-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC). The biphasic chiral recognition HSCCC was performed by adding lipophilic (−)-2-ethylhexyl tartrate in the organic stationary phase and hydrophilic hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin in the aqueous mobile phase, which preferentially recognized the (−)-enantiomer and (+)-enantiomer, respectively. The two-phase solvent system composed of n-hexane-methyl tert-butyl ether-water (9:1:10, v/v/v) with the above chiral selectors was selected according to the partition coefficient and separation factor of the target enantiomers. Various parameters involved in the chiral separation were investigated, namely the types of the chiral selector (CS); the concentration of each chiral selector; pH of the mobile phase; and the separation temperature. The mechanism involved in this biphasic recognition chiral separation by HSCCC was discussed. Langmuirian isotherm was employed to estimate the loading limits for each chiral selector. The overall experimental results show that the HSCCC separation of enantiomer based on biphasic recognition is much more efficient than the traditional monophasic recognition chiral separation, since it utilizes the cooperation of both lipophilic and hydrophilic chiral selectors. PMID:20303497

Spin Triplet Nematic Pairing Symmetry and Superconducting Double Transition in U1-xThxBe13

Science.gov (United States)

Machida, Kazushige

2018-03-01

Motivated by a recent experiment on U1-xThxBe13 with x = 3%, we develop a theory to narrow down the possible pair symmetry to consistently describe the double transition utilizing various theoretical tools, including group theory and Ginzburg-Landau theory. It is explained in terms of the two-dimensional representation Eu with spin triplet. Symmetry breaking causes the degenerate Tc to split into two. The low-temperature phase is identified as the cyclic p wave: d(k) = \\hat{x}kx + ɛ \\hat{y}ky + ɛ 2\\hat{z}kz with ɛ3 = 1, whereas the biaxial nematic phase: d(k) = √{3} (\\hat{x}kx - \\hat{y}ky) is the high-temperature one. This allows us to simultaneously identify the uniaxial nematic phase: d(k) = 2\\hat{z}kz - \\hat{x}kx - \\hat{y}ky for UBe13, which spontaneously breaks the cubic symmetry of the system. Those pair functions are fully consistent with this description and existing data. We comment on the accidental scenario in addition to this degeneracy scenario and the intriguing topological nature hidden in this long-known material.

Simultaneous achiral-chiral analysis of pharmaceutical compounds using two-dimensional reversed phase liquid chromatography-supercritical fluid chromatography.

Science.gov (United States)

Venkatramani, C J; Al-Sayah, Mohammad; Li, Guannan; Goel, Meenakshi; Girotti, James; Zang, Lisa; Wigman, Larry; Yehl, Peter; Chetwyn, Nik

2016-02-01

A new interface was designed to enable the coupling of reversed phase liquid chromatography (RPLC) and supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC). This online two-dimensional chromatographic system utilizing RPLC in the first dimension and SFC in the second was developed to achieve simultaneous achiral and chiral analysis of pharmaceutical compounds. The interface consists of an eight-port, dual-position switching valve with small volume C-18 trapping columns. The peaks of interest eluting from the first RPLC dimension column were effectively focused as sharp concentration pulses on small volume C-18 trapping column/s and then injected onto the second dimension SFC column. The first dimension RPLC separation provides the achiral purity result, and the second dimension SFC separation provides the chiral purity result (enantiomeric excess). The results are quantitative enabling simultaneous achiral, chiral analysis of compounds. The interface design and proof of concept demonstration are presented. Additionally, comparative studies to conventional SFC and case studies of the applications of 2D LC-SFC in pharmaceutical analysis is presented. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Nematic and Valley Ordering in Anisotropic Quantum Hall Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Parameswaran, S. A.; Abanin, D. A.; Kivelson, S. A.; Sondhi, S. L.

2010-03-01

We consider a multi-valley two dimensional electron system in the quantum Hall effect (QHE) regime. We focus on QHE states that arise due to spontaneous breaking of the valley symmetry by the Coulomb interactions. We show that the anisotropy of the Fermi surface in each valley, which is generally present in such systems, favors states where all the electrons reside in one of the valleys. In a clean system, the valley ordering occurs via a finite temperature Ising-like phase transition, which, owing to the Fermi surface anisotropy, is accompanied by the onset of nematic order. In a disordered system, domains of opposite polarization are formed, and therefore long-range valley order is destroyed, however, the resulting state is still compressible. We discuss the transport properties in ordered and disordered regimes, and point out the possible relation of our results to recent experiments in AlAs [1]. [1] Y. P. Shkolnikov, S. Misra, N. C. Bishop, E. P. De Poortere, and M. Shayegan, Observation of Quantum Hall ``Valley Skyrmions", Phys. Rev. Lett. 95, 068809 (2005)[2] D.A. Abanin, S.A. Parameswaran, S.A. Kivelson and S.L. Sondhi, Nematic and Valley Ordering in Anisotropic Quantum Hall Systems, to be published.

Fases estacionárias quirais para cromatografia líquida de alta eficiência Chiral stationary phases for high-performance liquid chromatography

OpenAIRE

Tiago de Campos Lourenço; Neila Maria Cassiano; Quezia B. Cass

2010-01-01

The development of Chiral Stationary Phases (CSPs) for high performance liquid chromatography has been studied by various researches around the world, especially, since 1980. This simple interest has been transformed into a tool of great technological value for the industrial community and scholars in general providing the existence of several CSPs, which act through different mechanisms of chiral discrimination. This paper describes the main types of CSPs that are used for the resolution of ...

New theories for smectic and nematic liquid crystalline polymers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dowell, F.

1987-01-01

A summary of results from new statistical-physics theories for both backbone and side-chain liquid crystalline polymers (LCPs) and for mixtures with LCPs is presented. Thermodynamic and molecular ordering properties (including odd-even effects) have been calculated as a function of pressure, density, temperature, and molecule chemical structures (including degree of polymerization and the following properties of the chemical structures of the repeat units: lengths and shapes, intra-chain rotation energies, dipole moments, site-site polarizabilities and Lennard-Jones potentials, etc.) in nematic and multiple smectic-A LC phases and in the isotropic liquid phase. These theories can also be applied to combined LCPs. Since these theories have no ad hoc or arbitrarily adjustable parameters, these theories have been used to design new LCPs and new solvents and to predict and explain properties

One-Pot Click Access to a Cyclodextrin Dimer-Based Novel Aggregation Induced Emission Sensor and Monomer-Based Chiral Stationary Phase

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiaoli Li

2016-11-01

Full Text Available A ‘two birds, one stone’ strategy was developed via a one-pot click reaction to simultaneously prepare a novel cyclodextrin (CD dimer based aggregation induced emission (AIE sensor (AIE-DCD and a monomer based chiral stationary phase (CSP-MCD for chiral high performance liquid chromatography (CHPLC. AIE-DCD was found to afford satisfactory AIE response for specific detection of Zn2+ with a detection limit of 50 nM. CSP-MCD exhibits excellent enantioseparation ability toward dansyl amino acids, where the resolution of dansyl amino leucine reaches 5.43.

Lateral shifting in one dimensional chiral photonic crystal

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

You Yuan, E-mail: yctcyouyuan@163.com [School of Physics and Electronics, Yancheng Teachers University, Yancheng, 224002 Jiangsu (China); Chen Changyuan [School of Physics and Electronics, Yancheng Teachers University, Yancheng, 224002 Jiangsu (China)

2012-07-01

We report the lateral shifts of the transmitted waves in a one dimensional chiral photonic crystal by using the stationary-phase approach. It is revealed that two kinds of lateral shifts are observed due to the existence of cross coupling in chiral materials, which is different from what has been observed in previous non-chiral photonic crystals. Unlike the chiral slab, the positions of lateral shift peaks are closely related to the band edges of band gap characteristics of periodic structure and lateral shifts can be positive as well as negative. Besides, the lateral shifts show a strong dependence on the chiral factor, which varies the lateral shift peaks in both magnitudes and positions. These features are desirable for future device applications.

Lateral shifting in one dimensional chiral photonic crystal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

You Yuan; Chen Changyuan

2012-01-01

We report the lateral shifts of the transmitted waves in a one dimensional chiral photonic crystal by using the stationary-phase approach. It is revealed that two kinds of lateral shifts are observed due to the existence of cross coupling in chiral materials, which is different from what has been observed in previous non-chiral photonic crystals. Unlike the chiral slab, the positions of lateral shift peaks are closely related to the band edges of band gap characteristics of periodic structure and lateral shifts can be positive as well as negative. Besides, the lateral shifts show a strong dependence on the chiral factor, which varies the lateral shift peaks in both magnitudes and positions. These features are desirable for future device applications.

Chiral symmetry and chiral-symmetry breaking

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peskin, M.E.

1982-12-01

These lectures concern the dynamics of fermions in strong interaction with gauge fields. Systems of fermions coupled by gauge forces have a very rich structure of global symmetries, which are called chiral symmetries. These lectures will focus on the realization of chiral symmetries and the causes and consequences of thier spontaneous breaking. A brief introduction to the basic formalism and concepts of chiral symmetry breaking is given, then some explicit calculations of chiral symmetry breaking in gauge theories are given, treating first parity-invariant and then chiral models. These calculations are meant to be illustrative rather than accurate; they make use of unjustified mathematical approximations which serve to make the physics more clear. Some formal constraints on chiral symmetry breaking are discussed which illuminate and extend the results of our more explicit analysis. Finally, a brief review of the phenomenological theory of chiral symmetry breaking is presented, and some applications of this theory to problems in weak-interaction physics are discussed

[Preparation and performance characterization of gold nanoparticles modified chiral capillary electrochromatography stationary phase].

Science.gov (United States)

Xiong, Lele; Li, Ruijun; Ji, Yibing

2017-07-08

Gold nanoparticles (GNPs, 15 nm) were prepared and introduced to amino groups derived silica monolithic column. Bovine serum albumin (BSA) was immobilized via covalent modification method onto the carboxylic functionalized GNPs to afford chiral stationary phase (CSP) for enantioseparation. GNPs were well dispersed and successfully incorporated onto the columns with the contents as high as 17.18% by characterization method such as transmission electron microscopy (TEM), ultraviolet (UV)-visible absorption spectra and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The preparation conditions of the BSA modified CSP were optimized and 10% (v/v) 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) and 15 g/L BSA were selected as appropriate reaction conditions. The enantioseparation performance of the BSA modified CSP has been investigated by capillary electrochromatography (CEC). Enantiomers of tryptophan, ephedrine and atenolol were resolved, and the baseline separation of tryptophan was achieved. Meanwhile, the influences of pH value, buffer concentrations and applied voltages used on the chiral separation were studied, and the optimal separation conditions were 10 mmol/L phosphate buffer at pH 7.4 and 15 kV applied voltages. In comparison with the BSA modified CSP prepared by physical adsorption, the CSP prepared by covalent modification method had better separation results, and the analytes could be separated directly without pre-column derivatization. In addition, the prepared BSA modified CSP exhibited good run to run repeatability with relative standard deviations (RSDs) of the migration times and selectivity factors not more than 2.3% and 0.96%, respectively. This work offers a good thinking for modification with other proteins or other types of chiral selectors.

Gelation induced supramolecular chirality: chirality transfer, amplification and application.

Science.gov (United States)

Duan, Pengfei; Cao, Hai; Zhang, Li; Liu, Minghua

2014-08-14

Supramolecular chirality defines chirality at the supramolecular level, and is generated from the spatial arrangement of component molecules assembling through non-covalent interactions such as hydrogen bonding, van der Waals interactions, π-π stacking, hydrophobic interactions and so on. During the formation of low molecular weight gels (LMWGs), one kind of fascinating soft material, one frequently encounters the phenomenon of chirality as well as chiral nanostructures, either from chiral gelators or even achiral gelators. A view of gelation-induced supramolecular chirality will be very helpful to understand the self-assembly process of the gelator molecules as well as the chiral structures, the regulation of the chirality in the gels and the development of the "smart" chiral materials such as chiroptical devices, catalysts and chiral sensors. It necessitates fundamental understanding of chirality transfer and amplification in these supramolecular systems. In this review, recent progress in gelation-induced supramolecular chirality is discussed.

Ultrafast observation of critical nematic fluctuations and giant magnetoelastic coupling in iron pnictides

Science.gov (United States)

Patz, Aaron; Li, Tianqi; Ran, Sheng; Fernandes, Rafael M.; Schmalian, Joerg; Bud'Ko, Sergey L.; Canfield, Paul C.; Perakis, Ilias E.; Wang, Jigang

2014-02-01

Many of the iron pnictides have strongly anisotropic normal-state characteristics, important for the exotic magnetic and superconducting behaviour these materials exhibit. Yet, the origin of the observed anisotropy is unclear. Electronically driven nematicity has been suggested, but distinguishing this as an independent degree of freedom from magnetic and structural orders is difficult, as these couple together to break the same tetragonal symmetry. Here we use time-resolved polarimetry to reveal critical nematic fluctuations in unstrained Ba(Fe1-xCox)2As2. The femtosecond anisotropic response, which arises from the two-fold in-plane anisotropy of the complex refractive index, displays a characteristic two-step recovery absent in the isotropic response. The fast recovery appears only in the magnetically ordered state, whereas the slow one persists in the paramagnetic phase with a critical divergence approaching the structural transition temperature. The dynamics also reveal a gigantic magnetoelastic coupling that far exceeds electron-spin and electron-phonon couplings, opposite to conventional magnetic metals.

Nematic elastomers: from a microscopic model to macroscopic elasticity theory.

Science.gov (United States)

Xing, Xiangjun; Pfahl, Stephan; Mukhopadhyay, Swagatam; Goldbart, Paul M; Zippelius, Annette

2008-05-01

A Landau theory is constructed for the gelation transition in cross-linked polymer systems possessing spontaneous nematic ordering, based on symmetry principles and the concept of an order parameter for the amorphous solid state. This theory is substantiated with help of a simple microscopic model of cross-linked dimers. Minimization of the Landau free energy in the presence of nematic order yields the neoclassical theory of the elasticity of nematic elastomers and, in the isotropic limit, the classical theory of isotropic elasticity. These phenomenological theories of elasticity are thereby derived from a microscopic model, and it is furthermore demonstrated that they are universal mean-field descriptions of the elasticity for all chemical gels and vulcanized media.

Distinctive orbital anisotropy observed in the nematic state of a FeSe thin film

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Y.; Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory; Yi, M.; Stanford University, CA; Liu, Z.-K.

2016-01-01

Nematic state, where the system is translationally invariant but breaks the rotational symmetry, has drawn great attentions recently due to experimental observations of such a state in both cuprates and iron-based superconductors. The mechanism of nematicity that is likely tied to the pairing mechanism of high-T c , however, still remains controversial. Here, we studied the electronic structure of multilayer FeSe film by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES). We found that the FeSe film enters the nematic state around 125 K, while the electronic signature of long range magnetic order has not been observed down to 20K indicating the non-magnetic origin of the nematicity. The band reconstruction in the nematic state is characterized by the splitting of the d xz and d yz bands. More intriguingly, such energy splitting is strong momentum dependent with the largest band splitting of ~80 meV at the zone corner. The simple on-site ferro-orbital ordering is insufficient to reproduce the nontrivial momentum dependence of the band reconstruction. Instead, our results suggest that the nearest-neighbor hopping of d xz and d yz is highly anisotropic in the nematic state, the origin of which holds the key in understanding the nematicity in iron-based superconductors.

Characteristics of chiral anomaly in view of various applications

Science.gov (United States)

Fujikawa, Kazuo

2018-01-01

In view of the recent applications of chiral anomaly to various fields beyond particle physics, we discuss some basic aspects of chiral anomaly which may help deepen our understanding of chiral anomaly in particle physics also. It is first shown that Berry's phase (and its generalization) for the Weyl model H =vFσ →.p →(t ) assumes a monopole form at the exact adiabatic limit but deviates from it off the adiabatic limit and vanishes in the high frequency limit of the Fourier transform of p →(t ) for bounded |p →(t )|. An effective action, which is consistent with the nonadiabatic limit of Berry's phase, combined with the Bjorken-Johnson-Low prescription, gives normal equal-time space-time commutators and no chiral anomaly. In contrast, an effective action with a monopole at the origin of the momentum space, which describes Berry's phase in the precise adiabatic limit but fails off the adiabatic limit, gives anomalous space-time commutators and a covariant anomaly to the gauge current. We regard this anomaly as an artifact of the postulated monopole and not a consequence of Berry's phase. As for the recent application of the chiral anomaly to the description of effective Weyl fermions in condensed matter and nuclear physics, which is closely related to the formulation of lattice chiral fermions, we point out that the chiral anomaly for each species doubler separately vanishes for a finite lattice spacing, contrary to the common assumption. Instead, a general form of pair creation associated with the spectral flow for the Dirac sea with finite depth takes place. This view is supported by the Ginsparg-Wilson fermion, which defines a single Weyl fermion without doublers on the lattice and gives a well-defined index (anomaly) even for a finite lattice spacing. A different use of anomaly in analogy to the partially conserved axial-vector current is also mentioned and could lead to an effect without fermion number nonconservation.

Lattice modes of the chirally pure and racemic phases of tyrosine crystals

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Belyanchikov, M. A. [Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (Russian Federation); Gorelik, V. S., E-mail: gorelik@sci.lebedev.ru [Russian Academy of Sciences, Lebedev Physical Institute (Russian Federation); Gorshunov, B. P. [Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (Russian Federation); Pyatyshev, A. Yu., E-mail: jb-valensia@mail.ru [Bauman Moscow State Technical University (Russian Federation)

2017-01-15

High-Q librational modes have been found to be present in the infrared absorption and Raman spectra of chirally pure L-tyrosine. Such modes can serve as terahertz radiation detectors and generators in chirally pure biostructures.

A 3-D open-framework material with intrinsic chiral topology used as a stationary phase in gas chromatography.

Science.gov (United States)

Xie, Sheng-Ming; Zhang, Xin-Huan; Zhang, Ze-Jun; Zhang, Mei; Jia, Jia; Yuan, Li-Ming

2013-04-01

Compared with liquid chromatography and capillary electrophoresis, the diversity of gas chromatography chiral stationary phases is rather limited. Here, we report the fabrication of Co(D-Cam)1/2(bdc)1/2(tmdpy) (D-Cam = D-camphoric acid; bdc = 1,4-benzenedicarboxylate; tmdpy = 4,4'-trimethylenedipyridine)-coated open tubular columns for high-resolution gas chromatographic separation of compounds. The Co(D-Cam)1/2(bdc)1/2(tmdpy) compound possesses a 3-D framework containing enantiopure building blocks embedded in intrinsically chiral topological nets. In this study, two fused-silica open tubular columns with different inner diameters and lengths, including column A (30 m × 530 μm i.d.) and column B (2 m × 75 μm i.d.), were prepared by a dynamic coating method using Co-(D-Cam)1/2(bdc)1/2(tmdpy) as the stationary phase. The chromatographic properties of the two columns were investigated using n-dodecane as the test compound at 120 °C. The number of theoretical plates (plates/m) of the two metal-organic framework columns was 1,450 and 3,100, respectively. The separation properties were evaluated using racemates, isomers, alkanes, alcohols, and Grob's test mixture. The limit of detection and limit of quantification were found to be 0.125 and 0.417 ng for citronellal enantiomers, respectively. Repeatability (n = 6) showed lower than 0.25 % relative standard deviation (RSD) for retention times and lower than 2.2 % RSD for corrected peak areas. The experimental results showed that the stationary phase has excellent selectivity and also possesses good recognition ability toward these organic compounds, especially chiral compounds.

Thermically tuned nematic guide

Science.gov (United States)

Corella-Madueño, Adalberto; Reyes, Juan Adrián

2006-06-01

We consider a cylindrical fiber with a liquid crystal core satisfying homeotropic weak anchoring boundary conditions. We find the different textures of the nematic inside the cylinder obtained by changing the temperature. We calculate exactly the spatial distribution of the transverse magnetic modes in the guide as a function of temperature of the system by using a numerical scheme.

Chirality-Controlled Synthesis and Applications of Single-Wall Carbon Nanotubes.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Bilu; Wu, Fanqi; Gui, Hui; Zheng, Ming; Zhou, Chongwu

2017-01-24

Preparation of chirality-defined single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) is the top challenge in the nanotube field. In recent years, great progress has been made toward preparing single-chirality SWCNTs through both direct controlled synthesis and postsynthesis separation approaches. Accordingly, the uses of single-chirality-dominated SWCNTs for various applications have emerged as a new front in nanotube research. In this Review, we review recent progress made in the chirality-controlled synthesis of SWCNTs, including metal-catalyst-free SWCNT cloning by vapor-phase epitaxy elongation of purified single-chirality nanotube seeds, chirality-specific growth of SWCNTs on bimetallic solid alloy catalysts, chirality-controlled synthesis of SWCNTs using bottom-up synthetic strategy from carbonaceous molecular end-cap precursors, etc. Recent major progresses in postsynthesis separation of single-chirality SWCNT species, as well as methods for chirality characterization of SWCNTs, are also highlighted. Moreover, we discuss some examples where single-chirality SWCNTs have shown clear advantages over SWCNTs with broad chirality distributions. We hope this review could inspire more research on the chirality-controlled preparation of SWCNTs and equally important inspire the use of single-chirality SWCNT samples for more fundamental studies and practical applications.

Disorder effect on chiral edge modes and anomalous Hall conductance in Weyl semimetals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takane, Yositake

2016-01-01

Typical Weyl semimetals host chiral surface states and hence show an anomalous Hall response. Although a Weyl semimetal phase is known to be robust against weak disorder, the effect of disorder on chiral states has not been fully clarified so far. We study the behavior of such chiral states in the presence of disorder and its consequences on an anomalous Hall response, focusing on a thin slab of Weyl semimetal with chiral surface states along its edge. It is shown that weak disorder does not disrupt chiral edge states but crucially affects them owing to the renormalization of a mass parameter: the number of chiral edge states changes depending on the strength of disorder. It is also shown that the Hall conductance is quantized when the Fermi level is located near Weyl nodes within a finite-size gap. This quantization of the Hall conductance collapses once the strength of disorder exceeds a critical value, suggesting that it serves as a probe to distinguish a Weyl semimetal phase from a diffusive anomalous Hall metal phase. (author)

[[Chiral separation of five arylpropionic acid drugs and determination of their enantiomers in pharmaceutical preparations by reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography with cellulose-tris-(4-methylbenzoate) stationary phase

Science.gov (United States)

Luo, An; Wan, Qiang; Fan, Huajun; Chen, Zhi; Wu, Xuehao; Huang, Xiaowen; Zang, Linquan

2014-09-01

Chromatographic behaviors for enantiomeric separation of arylpropionic acid drugs were systematically developed by reversed phase-high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) using cellulose-tris-(4-methylbenzoate) (CTMB) as chiral stationary phase (CSP). The effects of the composition of the mobile phase, additives and temperature on chiral separation of flurbiprofen, pranoprofen, naproxen, ibuprofen and loxoprofen were further investigated. The enantiomers had been successfully separated on CSP of CTMB by the mobile phase of methanol-0.1% (v/v) formic acid except naproxen by acetonitrile-0.1% (v/v) formic acid at 25 °C. The mechanisms of the racemic resolution for the above mentioned five drugs are discussed thermodynamically and structurally. The resolutions between respective enantiomers for arylpropionic acid drugs on CTMB had significant differences due to their chromatographic behaviors. The order of resolutions ranked pranoprofen, loxoprofen, flurbiprofen, ibuprofen and naproxen. The method established has been successfully applied to the determination of the enantiomers of the five drugs in commercial preparations under the optimized conditions. It proved that the method is simple, reliable and accurate.

Gas phase synthesis of non-bundled, small diameter single-walled carbon nanotubes with near-armchair chiralities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mustonen, K.; Laiho, P.; Kaskela, A.; Zhu, Z.; Reynaud, O.; Houbenov, N.; Tian, Y.; Jiang, H.; Kauppinen, E. I., E-mail: esko.kauppinen@aalto.fi [Department of Applied Physics, Aalto University School of Science, P.O. Box 15100, FI-00076 Aalto (Finland); Susi, T. [Faculty of Physics, University of Vienna, Boltzmanngasse 5, A-1090 Vienna (Austria); Nasibulin, A. G. [Department of Applied Physics, Aalto University School of Science, P.O. Box 15100, FI-00076 Aalto (Finland); Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, Nobel str. 3, 143026 (Russian Federation); Saint-Petersburg State Polytechnical University, 29 Polytechniheskaya st., St. Petersburg, 195251 (Russian Federation)

2015-07-06

We present a floating catalyst synthesis route for individual, i.e., non-bundled, small diameter single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) with a narrow chiral angle distribution peaking at high chiralities near the armchair species. An ex situ spark discharge generator was used to form iron particles with geometric number mean diameters of 3–4 nm and fed into a laminar flow chemical vapour deposition reactor for the continuous synthesis of long and high-quality SWCNTs from ambient pressure carbon monoxide. The intensity ratio of G/D peaks in Raman spectra up to 48 and mean tube lengths up to 4 μm were observed. The chiral distributions, as directly determined by electron diffraction in the transmission electron microscope, clustered around the (n,m) indices (7,6), (8,6), (8,7), and (9,6), with up to 70% of tubes having chiral angles over 20°. The mean diameter of SWCNTs was reduced from 1.10 to 1.04 nm by decreasing the growth temperature from 880 to 750 °C, which simultaneously increased the fraction of semiconducting tubes from 67% to 80%. Limiting the nanotube gas phase number concentration to ∼10{sup 5 }cm{sup −3} prevented nanotube bundle formation that is due to collisions induced by Brownian diffusion. Up to 80% of 500 as-deposited tubes observed by atomic force and transmission electron microscopy were individual. Transparent conducting films deposited from these SWCNTs exhibited record low sheet resistances of 63 Ω/□ at 90% transparency for 550 nm light.

Degenerate and chiral states in the extended Heisenberg model on the kagome lattice

Science.gov (United States)

Gómez Albarracín, F. A.; Pujol, P.

2018-03-01

We present a study of the low-temperature phases of the antiferromagnetic extended classical Heisenberg model on the kagome lattice, up to third-nearest neighbors. First, we focus on the degenerate lines in the boundaries of the well-known staggered chiral phases. These boundaries have either semiextensive or extensive degeneracy, and we discuss the partial selection of states by thermal fluctuations. Then, we study the model under an external magnetic field on these lines and in the staggered chiral phases. We pay particular attention to the highly frustrated point, where the three exchange couplings are equal. We show that this point can be mapped to a model with spin-liquid behavior and nonzero chirality. Finally, we explore the effect of Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya (DM) interactions in two ways: a homogeneous and a staggered DM interaction. In both cases, there is a rich low-temperature phase diagram, with different spontaneously broken symmetries and nontrivial chiral phases.

Enantiomeric Profiling of Chiral Pharmacologically Active Compounds in the Environment with the Usage of Chiral Liquid Chromatography 
Coupled with Tandem Mass Spectrometry

Science.gov (United States)

Camacho-Muñoz, Dolores; Petrie, Bruce; Castrignanò, Erika; Kasprzyk-Hordern, Barbara

2016-01-01

The issue of drug chirality is attracting increasing attention among the scientific community. The phenomenon of chirality has been overlooked in environmental research (environmental occurrence, fate and toxicity) despite the great impact that chiral pharmacologically active compounds (cPACs) can provoke on ecosystems. The aim of this paper is to introduce the topic of chirality and its implications in environmental contamination. Special attention has been paid to the most recent advances in chiral analysis based on liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry and the most popular protein based chiral stationary phases. Several groups of cPACs of environmental relevance, such as illicit drugs, human and veterinary medicines were discussed. The increase in the number of papers published in the area of chiral environmental analysis indicates that researchers are actively pursuing new opportunities to provide better understanding of environmental impacts resulting from the enantiomerism of cPACs. PMID:27713682

On chiral and non chiral 1D supermultiplets

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Toppan, Francesco, E-mail: toppan@cbpf.b [Centro Brasileiro de Pesquisas Fisicas (TEO/CBPF), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Coordenacao de Fisica Teorica

2011-07-01

In this talk I discuss and clarify some issues concerning chiral and non chiral properties of the one-dimensional supermultiplets of the N-extended supersymmetry. Quaternionic chirality can be defined for N = 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. Octonionic chirality for N = 8 and beyond. Inequivalent chiralities only arise when considering several copies of N = 4 or N = 8 supermultiplets. (author)

On chiral and non chiral 1D supermultiplets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Toppan, Francesco

2011-01-01

In this talk I discuss and clarify some issues concerning chiral and non chiral properties of the one-dimensional supermultiplets of the N-extended supersymmetry. Quaternionic chirality can be defined for N = 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. Octonionic chirality for N = 8 and beyond. Inequivalent chiralities only arise when considering several copies of N = 4 or N = 8 supermultiplets. (author)

Sum-Frequency Generation from Chiral Media and Interfaces

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ji, Na [Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States)

2006-02-13

Sum frequency generation (SFG), a second-order nonlinear optical process, is electric-dipole forbidden in systems with inversion symmetry. As a result, it has been used to study chiral media and interfaces, systems intrinsically lacking inversion symmetry. This thesis describes recent progresses in the applications of and new insights into SFG from chiral media and interfaces. SFG from solutions of chiral amino acids is investigated, and a theoretical model explaining the origin and the strength of the chiral signal in electronic-resonance SFG spectroscopy is discussed. An interference scheme that allows us to distinguish enantiomers by measuring both the magnitude and the phase of the chiral SFG response is described, as well as a chiral SFG microscope producing chirality-sensitive images with sub-micron resolution. Exploiting atomic and molecular parity nonconservation, the SFG process is also used to solve the Ozma problems. Sum frequency vibrational spectroscopy is used to obtain the adsorption behavior of leucine molecules at air-water interfaces. With poly(tetrafluoroethylene) as a model system, we extend the application of this surface-sensitive vibrational spectroscopy to fluorine-containing polymers.

Sum-Frequency Generation from Chiral Media and Interfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ji, Na

2006-01-01

Sum frequency generation (SFG), a second-order nonlinear optical process, is electric-dipole forbidden in systems with inversion symmetry. As a result, it has been used to study chiral media and interfaces, systems intrinsically lacking inversion symmetry. This thesis describes recent progresses in the applications of and new insights into SFG from chiral media and interfaces. SFG from solutions of chiral amino acids is investigated, and a theoretical model explaining the origin and the strength of the chiral signal in electronic-resonance SFG spectroscopy is discussed. An interference scheme that allows us to distinguish enantiomers by measuring both the magnitude and the phase of the chiral SFG response is described, as well as a chiral SFG microscope producing chirality-sensitive images with sub-micron resolution. Exploiting atomic and molecular parity nonconservation, the SFG process is also used to solve the Ozma problems. Sum frequency vibrational spectroscopy is used to obtain the adsorption behavior of leucine molecules at air-water interfaces. With poly(tetrafluoroethylene) as a model system, we extend the application of this surface-sensitive vibrational spectroscopy to fluorine-containing polymers

Evidence for a helical and a chiral phase transition in the Gd(hfac)3NITiPr magnetic specific heat

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cinti, F.; Rettori, A.; Barucci, M.; Olivieri, E.; Risegari, L.; Ventura, G.; Caneschi, A.; Gatteschi, D.; Rovai, D.; Pini, M.G.; Affronte, M.; Mariani, M.; Lascialfari, A.

2007-01-01

New specific heat data taken at very low temperatures (0.03 3 NITiPr show a clear λ anomaly at T N =0.039K signaling the onset of the 3D helimagnetic phase. They match fairly well with previously reported data which showed the onset of the chiral phase transition at T 0 =2.08K. Also new magnetic susceptibility data taken in the neighborhood at T 0 are repeated

Signatures of chiral symmetry restoration and its survival throughout the hadronic phase interactions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bratkovskaya E.L.

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The effect of the chiral symmetry restoration (CSR on observables from heavy-ion collisions is studied in the energy range sNN=3–20 GeV within the Parton-Hadron-String Dynamics (PHSD transport approach. The PHSD includes the deconfinement phase transition as well as essential aspects of CSR in the dense and hot hadronic medium, which are incorporated in the Schwinger mechanism for the hadronic particle production. We adopt different parametrizations of the nuclear equation of state from the non-linear σ - ω model, which enter in the computation of the quark scalar density for the CSR mechanism, in order to estimate the uncertainty in our calculations. For the pion-nucleon ∑-term we adopt ∑π ≈ 45 MeV which corresponds to a ’world average’. Our systematic studies show that chiral symmetry restoration plays a crucial role in the description of heavy-ion collisions at sNN=3–20 GeV, realizing an increase of the hadronic particle production in the strangeness sector with respect to the non-strange one. We identify particle abundances and rapidity spectra to be suitable probes in order to extract information about CSR, while transverse mass spectra are less sensitive ones. Our results provide a microscopic explanation for the "horn" structure in the excitation function of the K+/π+ ratio: the CSR in the hadronic phase produces the steep increase of this particle ratio up to sNN ≈ 7 GeV, while the drop at higher energies is associated to the appearance of a deconfined partonic medium.

Signatures of chiral symmetry restoration and its survival throughout the hadronic phase interactions

Science.gov (United States)

Bratkovskaya, E. L.; Moreau, P.; Palmese, A.; Cassing, W.; Seifert, E.; Steinert, T.

2018-02-01

The effect of the chiral symmetry restoration (CSR) on observables from heavy-ion collisions is studied in the energy range =3-20 GeV within the Parton-Hadron-String Dynamics (PHSD) transport approach. The PHSD includes the deconfinement phase transition as well as essential aspects of CSR in the dense and hot hadronic medium, which are incorporated in the Schwinger mechanism for the hadronic particle production. We adopt different parametrizations of the nuclear equation of state from the non-linear σ - ω model, which enter in the computation of the quark scalar density for the CSR mechanism, in order to estimate the uncertainty in our calculations. For the pion-nucleon ∑-term we adopt ∑π ≈ 45 MeV which corresponds to a 'world average'. Our systematic studies show that chiral symmetry restoration plays a crucial role in the description of heavy-ion collisions at =3-20 GeV, realizing an increase of the hadronic particle production in the strangeness sector with respect to the non-strange one. We identify particle abundances and rapidity spectra to be suitable probes in order to extract information about CSR, while transverse mass spectra are less sensitive ones. Our results provide a microscopic explanation for the "horn" structure in the excitation function of the K+/π+ ratio: the CSR in the hadronic phase produces the steep increase of this particle ratio up to ≈ 7 GeV, while the drop at higher energies is associated to the appearance of a deconfined partonic medium.

Deconfinement, chiral transition and localisation in a QCD-like model

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Giordano, Matteo; Katz, Sándor D. [Institute for Theoretical Physics, Eötvös University,Pázmány P. sétány 1/A, H-1117 Budapest (Hungary); MTA-ELTE “Lendület” Lattice Gauge Theory Research Group,Pázmány P. sétány 1/A, H-1117 Budapest (Hungary); Kovács, Tamás G. [Institute for Nuclear Research of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences,Bem tér 18/c, H-4026 Debrecen (Hungary); Pittler, Ferenc [HISKP(Theory), University of Bonn,Nussallee 14-16, D-53115 Bonn (Germany)

2017-02-10

We study the problems of deconfinement, chiral symmetry restoration and localisation of the low Dirac eigenmodes in a toy model of QCD, namely unimproved staggered fermions on lattices of temporal extension N{sub T}=4. This model displays a genuine deconfining and chirally-restoring first-order phase transition at some critical value of the gauge coupling. Our results indicate that the onset of localisation of the lowest Dirac eigenmodes takes place at the same critical coupling where the system undergoes the first-order phase transition. This provides further evidence of the close relation between deconfinement, chiral symmetry restoration and localisation of the low modes of the Dirac operator on the lattice.

СHIRAL RECOGNITION OF CYSTEINE MOLECULES BY CHIRAL CdSe AND CdS QUANTUM DOTS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. V. Mukhina

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Here, we report the investigation of mechanism of chiral molecular recognition of cysteine biomolecules by chiral CdSe and CdS semiconductor nanocrystals. To observe chiral recognition process, we prepared enantioenriched ensembles of the nanocrystals capped with achiral ligand. The enantioenriched samples of intrinsically chiral CdSe quantum dots were prepared by separation of initial racemic mixture of the nanocrystals using chiral phase transfer from chloroform to water driven by L- and D-cysteine. Chiral molecules of cysteine and penicillamine were substituted for achiral molecules of dodecanethiol on the surfaces of CdSe and CdS samples, respectively, via reverse phase transfer from water to chloroform. We estimated an efficiency of the hetero- (d-L or l-D and homocomplexes (l-L formation by comparing the extents of corresponding complexing reactions. Using circular dichroism spectroscopy data we show an ability of nanocrystals enantiomers to discriminate between left-handed and right-handed enantiomers of biomolecules via preferential formation of heterocomplexes. Development of approaches for obtaining chiral nanocrystals via chiral phase transfer offers opportunities for investigation of molecular recognition at the nano/bio interfaces.

QUANTITATIVE DETERMINATION OF CHIRAL DICHLORPROP AND MECOPROP ENANTIOMERS IN DRINKING AND SURFACE WATERS BY SOLID-PHASE EXTRACTION AND CAPILLARY ELECTROPHORESIS

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Tříska, Jan; Vrchotová, Naděžda

2002-01-01

Roč. 11, č. 7 (2002), s. 332-336 ISSN 1018-4619 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z6087904 Keywords : capillary electrophoresis * solid-phase extraction * chiral herbicides Subject RIV: CB - Analytical Chemistry, Separation Impact factor: 0.309, year: 2002

Semiflexible polymers confined in a slit pore with attractive walls: two-dimensional liquid crystalline order versus capillary nematization.

Science.gov (United States)

Milchev, Andrey; Egorov, Sergei A; Binder, Kurt

2017-03-01

Semiflexible polymers under good solvent conditions interacting with attractive planar surfaces are investigated by Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations and classical Density Functional Theory (DFT). A bead-spring type potential complemented by a bending potential is used, allowing variation of chain stiffness from completely flexible coils to rod-like polymers whose persistence length by far exceeds their contour length. Solvent is only implicitly included, monomer-monomer interactions being purely repulsive, while two types of attractive wall-monomer interactions are considered: (i) a strongly attractive Mie-type potential, appropriate for a strictly structureless wall, and (ii) a corrugated wall formed by Lennard-Jones particles arranged on a square lattice. It is found that in dilute solutions the former case leads to the formation of a strongly adsorbed surface layer, and the profile of density and orientational order in the z-direction perpendicular to the wall is predicted by DFT in nice agreement with MD. While for very low bulk densities a Kosterlitz-Thouless type transition from the isotropic phase to a phase with power-law decay of nematic correlations is suggested to occur in the strongly adsorbed layer, for larger densities a smectic-C phase in the surface layer is detected. No "capillary nematization" effect at higher bulk densities is found in this system, unlike systems with repulsive walls. This finding is attributed to the reduction of the bulk density (in the center of the slit pore) due to polymer adsorption on the attractive wall, for a system studied in the canonical ensemble. Consequently in a system with two attractive walls nematic order in the slit pore can occur only at a higher density than for a bulk system.

Chiral Drug Analysis in Forensic Chemistry: An Overview

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cláudia Ribeiro

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Many substances of forensic interest are chiral and available either as racemates or pure enantiomers. Application of chiral analysis in biological samples can be useful for the determination of legal or illicit drugs consumption or interpretation of unexpected toxicological effects. Chiral substances can also be found in environmental samples and revealed to be useful for determination of community drug usage (sewage epidemiology, identification of illicit drug manufacturing locations, illegal discharge of sewage and in environmental risk assessment. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the application of chiral analysis in biological and environmental samples and their relevance in the forensic field. Most frequently analytical methods used to quantify the enantiomers are liquid and gas chromatography using both indirect, with enantiomerically pure derivatizing reagents, and direct methods recurring to chiral stationary phases.

Higgs boson resonance parameters and the finite temperature phase transition in a chirally invariant Higgs-Yukawa model

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bulava, John; Jansen, Karl [Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Zeuthen (Germany). John von Neumann-Inst. fuer Computing NIC; Gerhold, Philip; Kallarackal, Jim; Nagy, Attila [Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Zeuthen (Germany). John von Neumann-Inst. fuer Computing NIC; Humbolt-Univ. Berlin (Germany)

2011-12-15

We study a chirally invariant Higgs-Yukawa model regulated on a space-time lattice. We calculate Higgs boson resonance parameters and mass bounds for various values of the mass of the degenerate fermion doublet. Also, first results on the phase transition temperature are presented. In general, this model may be relevant for BSM scenarios with a heavy fourth generation of quarks. (orig.)

Splitting, linking, knotting, and solitonic escape of topological defects in nematic drops with handles.

Science.gov (United States)

Tasinkevych, Mykola; Campbell, Michael G; Smalyukh, Ivan I

2014-11-18

Topologically nontrivial field excitations, including solitonic, linked, and knotted structures, play important roles in physical systems ranging from classical fluids and liquid crystals, to electromagnetism, classic, and quantum field theories. These excitations can appear spontaneously during symmetry-breaking phase transitions. For example, in cosmological theories, cosmic strings may have formed knotted configurations influencing the Early Universe development, whereas in liquid crystals transient tangled defect lines were observed during isotropic-nematic transitions, eventually relaxing to defect-free states. Knotted and solitonic fields and defects were also obtained using optical manipulation, complex-shaped colloids, and frustrated cholesterics. Here we use confinement of nematic liquid crystal by closed surfaces with varied genus and perpendicular boundary conditions for a robust control of appearance and stability of such field excitations. Theoretical modeling and experiments reveal structure of defect lines as a function of the surface topology and material and geometric parameters, establishing a robust means of controlling solitonic, knotted, linked, and other field excitations.

Unified Phase Diagram for Iron-Based Superconductors.

Science.gov (United States)

Gu, Yanhong; Liu, Zhaoyu; Xie, Tao; Zhang, Wenliang; Gong, Dongliang; Hu, Ding; Ma, Xiaoyan; Li, Chunhong; Zhao, Lingxiao; Lin, Lifang; Xu, Zhuang; Tan, Guotai; Chen, Genfu; Meng, Zi Yang; Yang, Yi-Feng; Luo, Huiqian; Li, Shiliang

2017-10-13

High-temperature superconductivity is closely adjacent to a long-range antiferromagnet, which is called a parent compound. In cuprates, all parent compounds are alike and carrier doping leads to superconductivity, so a unified phase diagram can be drawn. However, the properties of parent compounds for iron-based superconductors show significant diversity and both carrier and isovalent dopings can cause superconductivity, which casts doubt on the idea that there exists a unified phase diagram for them. Here we show that the ordered moments in a variety of iron pnictides are inversely proportional to the effective Curie constants of their nematic susceptibility. This unexpected scaling behavior suggests that the magnetic ground states of iron pnictides can be achieved by tuning the strength of nematic fluctuations. Therefore, a unified phase diagram can be established where superconductivity emerges from a hypothetical parent compound with a large ordered moment but weak nematic fluctuations, which suggests that iron-based superconductors are strongly correlated electron systems.

Unified Phase Diagram for Iron-Based Superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Gu, Yanhong; Liu, Zhaoyu; Xie, Tao; Zhang, Wenliang; Gong, Dongliang; Hu, Ding; Ma, Xiaoyan; Li, Chunhong; Zhao, Lingxiao; Lin, Lifang; Xu, Zhuang; Tan, Guotai; Chen, Genfu; Meng, Zi Yang; Yang, Yi-feng; Luo, Huiqian; Li, Shiliang

2017-10-01

High-temperature superconductivity is closely adjacent to a long-range antiferromagnet, which is called a parent compound. In cuprates, all parent compounds are alike and carrier doping leads to superconductivity, so a unified phase diagram can be drawn. However, the properties of parent compounds for iron-based superconductors show significant diversity and both carrier and isovalent dopings can cause superconductivity, which casts doubt on the idea that there exists a unified phase diagram for them. Here we show that the ordered moments in a variety of iron pnictides are inversely proportional to the effective Curie constants of their nematic susceptibility. This unexpected scaling behavior suggests that the magnetic ground states of iron pnictides can be achieved by tuning the strength of nematic fluctuations. Therefore, a unified phase diagram can be established where superconductivity emerges from a hypothetical parent compound with a large ordered moment but weak nematic fluctuations, which suggests that iron-based superconductors are strongly correlated electron systems.

Fluctuations and the Phase Transition in a Chiral Model with Polyakov Loops%引入Polyakov环路的手征模型中的涨落与相变

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

无

2007-01-01

We explore the NJL model with Polyakov loops for a system of three colors and two flavors within the mean-field approximation, where both chiral symmetry and confinement are taken into account. We focus on the phase structure of the model and study the chiral and Polyakov loop susceptibilities.

Defect Proliferation in Active Nematic Suspensions

Science.gov (United States)

Mishra, Prashant; Bowick, Mark J.; Giomi, Luca; Marchetti, M. Cristina

2014-03-01

The rich structure of equilibrium nematic suspensions, with their characteristic disclination defects, is modified when active forces come into play. The uniform nematic state is known to be unstable to splay (extensile) or bend (contractile) deformations above a critical activity. At even higher activity the flow becomes oscillatory and eventually turbulent. Using hydrodynamics, we classify the active flow regimes as functions of activity and order parameter friction for both contractile and extensile systems. The turbulent regime is marked by a non-zero steady state density of mobile defect pairs. The defect density itself scales with an ``active Ericksen number,'' defined as the ratio of the rate at which activity is injected into the system to the relaxation rate of orientational deformations. The work at Syracuse University was supported by the NSF on grant DMR-1004789 and by the Syracuse Soft Matter Program.

Siegel's chiral boson and the chiral Schwinger model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Berger, T.

1992-01-01

In this paper Siegel's proposal for a Lagrangian formulation of a chiral boson is analyzed by applying recent results on 2d chiral quantum gravity. A model is derived whose solution consists of a massive scalar and two massless chiral scalars. Therefore it is a minimally bosonized two-fermion chiral Schwinger model

Lorentz Invariant Spectrum of Minimal Chiral Schwinger Model

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Yong-Wan; Kim, Seung-Kook; Kim, Won-Tae; Park, Young-Jai; Kim, Kee Yong; Kim, Yongduk

We study the Lorentz transformation of the minimal chiral Schwinger model in terms of the alternative action. We automatically obtain a chiral constraint, which is equivalent to the frame constraint introduced by McCabe, in order to solve the frame problem in phase space. As a result we obtain the Lorentz invariant spectrum in any moving frame by choosing a frame parameter.

Phase transition of the first kind with respect to the density in a model of spontaneous breaking of chiral symmetry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bogolyubov, N.P.

1988-01-01

A model of the spontaneous breaking of chiral symmetry motivated by quantum chromodynamics is considered at a finite density of the quarks and zero temperature. For zero chemical potential the dynamical quark mass, the bag constant, and the vacuum expectation value are estimated. The dependence of the grand thermodynamic potential on the chemical potential of the quarks and of the energy on the particle number density are calculated. It is found that there is a phase transition of the first kind with respect to the density of the quarks accompanied by restoration of the chiral symmetry. The critical values of the fermion density are found

Optical nonlinearity due to thermomechanical effect in the planar and homeotropic nematic liquid crystals

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Poursamad, J.B. [Physics & Optic Engineering Group, University of Bonab, Bonab (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Phirouznia, A. [Department of Physics, Azerbaijan ShahidMadani University, 53714-161 Tabriz (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Sahrai, M. [Research Institue for Applied Physics and Astronomy, Univerity of Tabriz, Tabriz (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

2015-11-01

Possibility of observing third thermomechanical (TM) effect in uniform nematic liquid crystals (NLC) with proper selection of boundary conditions on the cell walls is theoretically studied. Absorption of a light wave induces the needed temperature gradient for the TM effect. The molecular director reorientation due to third TM effect and the induced phase shift on the probe beam are calculated. The forth TM coefficient can be measured directly by the method proposed in this work.

Dynamic wavefront sensing and correction with low-cost twisted nematic spatial light modulators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Duran, Vicente; Climent, Vicent; Lancis, Jesus; Tajahuerce, Enrique; Bara, Salvador; Arines, Justo; Ares, Jorge; Andres, Pedro; Jaroszewicz, Zbigniew

2010-01-01

Off-the-shelf twisted nematic liquid crystal displays (TNLCDs) show some interesting features such as high spatial resolution, easy handling, wide availability, and low cost. We describe a compact adaptive optical system using just one TNLCD to measure and compensate optical aberrations. The current system operates at a frame rate of the order of 10 Hz with a four level codification scheme. Wavefront estimation is performed through conventional Hartmann-Shack sensing architecture. The system has proved to work properly with a maximum rms aberration of 0.76 microns and wavefront gradient of 50 rad/mm at a wavelength of 514 nm. These values correspond to typical aberrations found in human eyes. The key of our approach is careful characterization and optimization of the TNLCD for phase-only modulation. For this purpose, we exploit the so-called retarder-rotator approach for twisted nematic liquid crystal cells. The optimization process has been successfully applied to SLMs working either in transmissive or in reflective mode, even when light depolarization effects are observed.

Lattice Boltzmann simulation of asymmetric flow in nematic liquid crystals with finite anchoring

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Rui; Roberts, Tyler; Aranson, Igor S.; de Pablo, Juan J.

2016-02-01

Liquid crystals (LCs) display many of the flow characteristics of liquids but exhibit long range orientational order. In the nematic phase, the coupling of structure and flow leads to complex hydrodynamic effects that remain to be fully elucidated. Here, we consider the hydrodynamics of a nematic LC in a hybrid cell, where opposite walls have conflicting anchoring boundary conditions, and we employ a 3D lattice Boltzmann method to simulate the time-dependent flow patterns that can arise. Due to the symmetry breaking of the director field within the hybrid cell, we observe that at low to moderate shear rates, the volumetric flow rate under Couette and Poiseuille flows is different for opposite flow directions. At high shear rates, the director field may undergo a topological transition which leads to symmetric flows. By applying an oscillatory pressure gradient to the channel, a net volumetric flow rate is found to depend on the magnitude and frequency of the oscillation, as well as the anchoring strength. Taken together, our findings suggest several intriguing new applications for LCs in microfluidic devices.

Analytical Enantioseparation of β-Substituted-2-Phenylpropionic Acids by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography with Hydroxypropyl-β-Cyclodextrin as Chiral Mobile Phase Additive.

Science.gov (United States)

Tong, Shengqiang; Zhang, Hu; Yan, Jizhong

2016-04-01

Analytical enantioseparation of five β-substituted-2-phenylpropionic acids by high-performance liquid chromatography with hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HP-β-CD) as chiral mobile phase additive was established in this paper, and chromatographic retention mechanism was studied. The effects of various factors such as the organic modifier, different ODS C18 columns and concentration of HP-β-CD were investigated. The chiral mobile phase was composed of methanol or acetonitrile and 0.5% triethylamine acetate buffer at pH 3.0 added with 25 mmol L(-1) of HP-β-CD, and baseline separations could be reached for all racemates. As for chromatographic retention mechanism, it was found that there was a negative correlation between the concentration of HP-β-CD in mobile phase and the retention factor under constant pH value and column temperature. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Dense baryon matter with isospin and chiral imbalance in the framework of a NJL4 model at large Nc: Duality between chiral symmetry breaking and charged pion condensation

Science.gov (United States)

Khunjua, T. G.; Klimenko, K. G.; Zhokhov, R. N.

2018-03-01

In this paper the phase structure of dense quark matter has been investigated at zero temperature in the presence of baryon, isospin and chiral isospin chemical potentials in the framework of massless (3 +1 )-dimensional Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model with two quark flavors. It has been shown that in the large-Nc limit (Nc is the number of colors of quarks) there exists a duality correspondence between the chiral symmetry breaking phase and the charged pion condensation one. The key conclusion of our studies is the fact that chiral isospin chemical potential generates charged pion condensation in dense quark matter with isotopic asymmetry.

Indication for a chiral phase in the molecular magnetic chain Gd(hfac){sub 3}NiTiPr by specific heat and {mu}{sup +}SR measurements

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lascialfari, A.; Ullu, R.; Affronte, M.; Cinti, F.; Caneschi, A.; Gatteschi, D.; Rovai, D.; Pini, M.G. E-mail: mgpini@ifac.cnr.it; Rettori, A

2004-05-01

Specific heat and muon spin relaxation ({mu}{sup +}SR) measurements performed in the molecular magnetic chain Gd(hfac){sub 3}NiTiPr provide indication for the onset, at T{sub 0}=2.08 K, of a phase with chiral order in the absence of long-range helical order. Specific heat data (probing the chirality-chirality correlation function) show a peak at T{sub 0} that disappears upon application of a 5 T magnetic field, while {mu}{sup +}SR data (probing the spin-spin correlation function) do not present any anomaly at T{sub 0} nor oscillations in the asymmetry curve below T{sub 0}.

Chiral superfluidity of the quark-gluon plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kalaydzhyan, Tigran

2012-08-01

In this paper we argue that the strongly coupled quark-gluon plasma can be considered as a chiral superfluid. The ''normal'' component of the fluid is the thermalized matter in common sense, while the ''superfluid'' part consists of long wavelength (chiral) fermionic states moving independently. We use several nonperturbative techniques to demonstrate that. First, we analyze the fermionic spectrum in the deconfinement phase (T c c ) using lattice (overlap) fermions and observe a gap between near-zero modes and the bulk of the spectrum. Second, we use the bosonization procedure with a finite cut-off and obtain a dynamical axion-like field out of the chiral fermionic modes. Third, we use relativistic hydrodynamics for macroscopic description of the effective theory obtained after the bosonization. Finally, solving the hydrodynamic equations in gradient expansion, we find that in the presence of external electromagnetic fields the motion of the ''superfluid'' component gives rise to the chiral magnetic, chiral electric and dipole wave effects. Latter two effects are specific for a two-component fluid, which provides us with crucial experimental tests of the model.

Topological Nematic States and Non-Abelian Lattice Dislocations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maissam Barkeshli

2012-08-01

Full Text Available An exciting new prospect in condensed matter physics is the possibility of realizing fractional quantum Hall states in simple lattice models without a large external magnetic field. A fundamental question is whether qualitatively new states can be realized on the lattice as compared with ordinary fractional quantum Hall states. Here we propose new symmetry-enriched topological states, topological nematic states, which are a dramatic consequence of the interplay between the lattice translational symmetry and topological properties of these fractional Chern insulators. The topological nematic states are realized in a partially filled flat band with a Chern number N, which can be mapped to an N-layer quantum Hall system on a regular lattice. However, in the topological nematic states the lattice dislocations can act as wormholes connecting the different layers and effectively change the topology of the space. Consequently, lattice dislocations become defects with a nontrivial quantum dimension, even when the fractional quantum Hall state being realized is, by itself, Abelian. Our proposal leads to the possibility of realizing the physics of topologically ordered states on high-genus surfaces in the lab even though the sample has only the disk geometry.

Probing Active Nematic Films with Magnetically Manipulated Colloids

Science.gov (United States)

Rivas, David; Chen, Kui; Henry, Robert; Reich, Daniel; Leheny, Robert

We study microtubule-based extensile active nematic films using rod-like and disk-shaped magnetic colloids to probe the mechanical and hydrodynamic properties of this quasi-two dimensional out-of-equilibrium system. The active nematics are driven by molecular motors that hydrolyze ATP and cause sliding motion between microtubular bundles. This motion produces a dynamic nematic director field, which continuously creates pairs of +1/2 and -1/2 defects. In the absence of externally applied forces or torques, we observe that the magnetic rods in contact with the films align with the local director, indicating the existence of mechanical coupling between the film and probe. By applying known magnetic torques to the rods and observing their rotation with respect to the director, we gain insight into this coupling. We also find that by rotating magnetic microdisks using magnetic fields, hydrodynamic flows are produced that compete with the films' intrinsic flow, leading to significant effects on the director field and the defect landscape. At certain rotation rates, the disks produce a vortex-like structure in the director field and cause the creation and shedding of defects from the disk boundary.

Topological Nematic States and Non-Abelian Lattice Dislocations

Science.gov (United States)

Barkeshli, Maissam; Qi, Xiao-Liang

2012-07-01

An exciting new prospect in condensed matter physics is the possibility of realizing fractional quantum Hall states in simple lattice models without a large external magnetic field. A fundamental question is whether qualitatively new states can be realized on the lattice as compared with ordinary fractional quantum Hall states. Here we propose new symmetry-enriched topological states, topological nematic states, which are a dramatic consequence of the interplay between the lattice translational symmetry and topological properties of these fractional Chern insulators. The topological nematic states are realized in a partially filled flat band with a Chern number N, which can be mapped to an N-layer quantum Hall system on a regular lattice. However, in the topological nematic states the lattice dislocations can act as wormholes connecting the different layers and effectively change the topology of the space. Consequently, lattice dislocations become defects with a nontrivial quantum dimension, even when the fractional quantum Hall state being realized is, by itself, Abelian. Our proposal leads to the possibility of realizing the physics of topologically ordered states on high-genus surfaces in the lab even though the sample has only the disk geometry.

Role of electronic nematicity in the interplay between s- and d-wave broken-symmetry states

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kee, Hae-Young

2010-01-01

To understand the role of electronic nematic order in the interplay between s- and d-wave particle-particle or particle-hole condensate states, relations between various s- and d-wave order parameters are studied. We find that the nematic operator transforms two independent six-dimensional vectors. The d-wave superconducting, d-density wave, and antiferromagnetic orders are organized into one vector, and the s-wave superconducting, charge density wave, and spin-triplet d-density wave orders into the other vector. Each vector acts as a superspin and transforms under the action of SO(6) where charge, spin, η- and π-pairing, spin-triplet nematic operators satisfy the SO(6) Lie algebra. Electronic nematic order is not a part of the SO(6) group. It commutes with all 15 generators. Our findings imply that nematic order does not affect the competition among the order parameters within the same superspin, while it strongly interferes the interplay between two order parameters that belong to different superspins. For example, nematicity allows a linear coupling between d- and s-wave superconducting order parameters which modifies the superconducting transition temperature. A generalized Ginzburg-Landau theory and further physical implications are discussed.

Flexoelectricity in an oxadiazole bent-core nematic liquid crystal

OpenAIRE

Kaur, Sarabjot; Panov, V. P.; Greco, C.; Ferrarini, A.; Görtz, Verena; Goodby, John W.; Gleeson, Helen F.

2014-01-01

We have determined experimentally the magnitude of the difference in the splay and bend flexoelectric coefficients, |e 1 − e 3|, of an oxadiazole bent-core liquid crystal by measuring the critical voltage for the formation of flexodomains together with their wave number. The coefficient |e 1 − e 3| is found to be a factor of 2–3 times higher than in most conventional calamitic nematic liquid crystals, varying from 8 pCm−1 to 20 pCm−1 across the ∼60 K—wide nematic regime. We have also calculat...

Chirality, phase transitions and their induction in amino acids

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Salam, A.

1991-04-01

''Atoms such as carbon, oxygen, nitrogen and hydrogen, the major constituents of biological molecules, are less than 0.4 nm in diameter... The behaviour of small molecules is a reflection of the intrinsic properties of the constituent atoms. Hence it might be expected that the behaviour of large macromolecules can be explained by a knowledge of atomic properties. Since organelles, whole cells and organisms are essentially macromolecular assemblies, it may be possible in time to derive an atomic theory of life'' (Rees and Sternberg). It has been suggested that chirality among the twenty amino acids which make up the proteins may be a consequence of a phase transition which is analogous to that due to BCS superconductivity. We explore these ideas in this paper and show, following Lee and Drell, that a crucial form for the transition temperature T c involves dynamical symmetry breaking. The t-quarks or supersymmetry (or something similar which ensures a heavy mass) appear to be essential if such mechanisms are to hold. (author). 12 refs, 1 fig., 1 tab

Biaxiality of chiral liquid crystals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Longa, L.; Trebin, H.R.; Fink, W.

1993-10-01

Using extended deGennes-Ginzburg-Landau free energy expansion in terms of the anisotropic part of the dielectric tensor field Q αβ (χ) a connection between the phase biaxiality and the stability of various chiral liquid crystalline phases is studied. In particular the cholesteric phase, the cubic Blue Phases and the phases characterized by an icosahedral space group symmetry are analysed in detail. Also a general question concerning the applicability of the mean-field approximation in describing the chiral phases is addressed. By an extensive study of the model over a wide range of the parameters a new class of phenomena, not present in the original deGennes-Ginzburg-Landau model, has been found. These include: a) re-entrant phase transitions between the cholesteric and the cubic blue phases and b) the existence of distinct phases of the same symmetry but of different biaxialities. The phase biaxiality serves here as an extra scalar order parameter. Furthermore, it has been shown that due to the presence of the competing bulk terms in the free energy, the stable phases may acquire a large degree of biaxiality, also in liquid crystalline materials composed of effectively uniaxial molecules. A study of icosahedral space group symmetries gives a partial answer to the question as to whether an icosahedral quasicrystalline liquid could be stabilized in liquid crystals. Although, in general, the stability of icosahedral structures could be enhanced by the extra terms in the free energy no absolutely stable icosahedral phase has been found. (author). 16 refs, 3 figs, 1 tab

Leading order relativistic chiral nucleon-nucleon interaction

Science.gov (United States)

Ren, Xiu-Lei; Li, Kai-Wen; Geng, Li-Sheng; Long, Bingwei; Ring, Peter; Meng, Jie

2018-01-01

Motivated by the successes of relativistic theories in studies of atomic/molecular and nuclear systems and the need for a relativistic chiral force in relativistic nuclear structure studies, we explore a new relativistic scheme to construct the nucleon-nucleon interaction in the framework of covariant chiral effective field theory. The chiral interaction is formulated up to leading order with covariant power counting and a Lorentz invariant chiral Lagrangian. We find that the relativistic scheme induces all six spin operators needed to describe the nuclear force. A detailed investigation of the partial wave potentials shows a better description of the {}1S0 and {}3P0 phase shifts than the leading order Weinberg approach, and similar to that of the next-to-leading order Weinberg approach. For the other partial waves with angular momenta J≥slant 1, the relativistic results are almost the same as their leading order non-relativistic counterparts. )

Lateral shift in one-dimensional quasiperiodic chiral photonic crystal

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Da, Jian, E-mail: dajian521@sina.com [Department of Information Engineering, Huaian Senior Vocational and Technical School, Feiyao road, Huaian 223005, Jiangsu Province (China); Mo, Qi, E-mail: moqiyueyang@163.com [School of Software, Yunnan University, Cuihu Bai Road, Kunming City, Yunnan Province 650091 (China); Cheng, Yaokun [Department of Information Engineering, Huaian Senior Vocational and Technical School, Feiyao road, Huaian 223005, Jiangsu Province (China); Liu, Taixiang [Taishan Vocational College of Nursing, Shandong Province 271000 (China)

2015-02-01

We investigate the lateral shift of a one-dimensional quasiperiodic photonic crystal consisting of chiral and conventional dielectric materials. The effect of structural irregularity on lateral shift is evaluated by stationary-phase approach. Our results show that the lateral shift can be modulated by varying the structural irregularity in quasiperiodic structure. Besides, the position of peak in lateral shift spectrum stays sensitive to the chiral factor of chiral materials. In comparison with that of periodic structure, quasiperiodic structure provides an extra degree of freedom to manipulate the lateral shift.

Modulational instability of nematic phase

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

2014-02-08

Feb 8, 2014 ... all phases show MI, but at the same time it has also been found that for antiferro- magnetic phase, MI depends on the relative .... with wave functions, time and spatial coordinates are measured in the units of. (¯h/2mωz)−3/2, ω−1 ... The manipulation of the resulting matrix gives eigenvalues. From the form of ...

Aqueous cholesteric liquid crystals using uncharged rodlike polypeptides. Polypeptide vesicles by conformation-specific assembly. Ordered chiral macroporous hybrid silica-polypeptide composites

Science.gov (United States)

Bellomo, Enrico Giuseppe

2005-07-01

Aqueous cholesteric liquid crystals using uncharged rodlike polypeptides . The aqueous, lyotropic liquid-crystalline phase behavior of an alpha helical polypeptide, has been studied using optical microscopy and X-ray scattering. Solutions of optically pure polypeptide were found to form cholesteric liquid crystals at volume fractions that decreased with increasing average chain length. At very high volume fractions, the formation of a hexagonal mesophase was observed. The pitch of the cholesteric phase could be varied by a mixture of enantiomeric samples, where the pitch increased as the mixture approached equimolar. The cholesteric phases could be untwisted, using either magnetic field or shear flow, into nematic phases, which relaxed into cholesterics upon removal of field or shear. We have found that the phase diagram of this polypeptide in aqueous solution parallels that of poly(gamma-benzyl glutamate) in organic solvents, thus providing a useful system for liquid-crystal applications requiring water as solvent. Polypeptide vesicles by conformation-specific assembly. We have found that block copolymers composed of polypeptide segments provide significant advantages in controlling both the function and supramolecular structure of bioinspired self-assemblies. Incorporation of the stable chain conformations found in proteins into block copolymers was found to provide an additional element of control, beyond amphiphilicity and composition that defines self-assembled architecture. The abundance of functionality present in amino acids, and the ease by which they can be incorporated into these materials, also provides a powerful mechanism to impart block copolypeptides with function. This combination of structure and function work synergistically to enable significant advantages in the preparation of therapeutic agents as well as provide insight into design of self-assemblies beginning to approach the complexity of natural structures such as virus capsids. Ordered

Phase diagram and Chiral Magnetic Effect in Dirac Semimetals from Lattice Simulation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Boyda D.L.

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Dirac Semimetals Na3Bi and Cd3As2 are recently discovered materials, which low energy electronic spectrum is described by two flavours of massless 3+1D fermions. In order to study electronic properties of these materials we formulated lattice field theory with rooted staggered fermions on anisotropic lattice. It is shown that in the limit of zero temporal lattice spacing this theory reproduces effective theory of Dirac semimetals. Using the lattice field theory we study the phase diagram of Dirac semimetals in the plane effective coupling constant - Fermi velocity anisotropy. We also measure conductivity of Dirac Semimetals within lattice field theory in external magnetic field. Our results confirm the existence of Chiral Magnetic Effect in Dirac Semimetals.

Topological transitions in unidirectional flow of nematic liquid crystal

Science.gov (United States)

Cummings, Linda; Anderson, Thomas; Mema, Ensela; Kondic, Lou

2015-11-01

Recent experiments by Sengupta et al. (Phys. Rev. Lett. 2013) revealed interesting transitions that can occur in flow of nematic liquid crystal under carefully controlled conditions within a long microfluidic channel of rectangular cross-section, with homeotropic anchoring at the walls. At low flow rates the director field of the nematic adopts a configuration that is dominated by the surface anchoring, being nearly parallel to the channel height direction over most of the cross-section; but at high flow rates there is a transition to a flow-dominated state, where the director configuration at the channel centerline is aligned with the flow (perpendicular to the channel height direction). We analyze simple channel-flow solutions to the Leslie-Ericksen model for nematics. We demonstrate that two solutions exist, at all flow rates, but that there is a transition between the elastic free energies of these solutions: the anchoring-dominated solution has the lowest energy at low flow rates, and the flow-dominated solution has lowest energy at high flow rates. NSF DMS 1211713.

Preparative supercritical fluid chromatography: A powerful tool for chiral separations.

Science.gov (United States)

Speybrouck, David; Lipka, Emmanuelle

2016-10-07

In 2012, the 4 biggest pharmaceutical blockbusters were pure enantiomers and separating racemic mixtures is now frequently a key step in the development of a new drug. For a long time, preparative liquid chromatography was the technique of choice for the separation of chiral compounds either during the drug discovery process to get up to a hundred grams of a pure enantiomer or during the clinical trial phases needing kilograms of material. However the advent of supercritical Fluid Chromatography (SFC) in the 1990s has changed things. Indeed, the use of carbon dioxide as the mobile phase in SFC offers many advantages including high flow rate, short equilibration time as well as low solvent consumption. Despite some initial teething troubles, SFC is becoming the primary method for preparative chiral chromatography. This article will cover recent developments in preparative SFC for the separation of enantiomers, reviewing several aspects such as instrumentation, chiral stationary phases, mobile phases or purely preparative considerations including overloading, productivity or large scale chromatography. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Broadband and chiral binary dielectric meta-holograms.

Science.gov (United States)

Khorasaninejad, Mohammadreza; Ambrosio, Antonio; Kanhaiya, Pritpal; Capasso, Federico

2016-05-01

Subwavelength structured surfaces, known as meta-surfaces, hold promise for future compact and optically thin devices with versatile functionalities. By revisiting the concept of detour phase, we demonstrate high-efficiency holograms with broadband and chiral imaging functionalities. In our devices, the apertures of binary holograms are replaced by subwavelength structured microgratings. We achieve broadband operation from the visible to the near infrared and efficiency as high as 75% in the 1.0 to 1.4 μm range by compensating for the inherent dispersion of the detour phase with that of the subwavelength structure. In addition, we demonstrate chiral holograms that project different images depending on the handedness of the reference beam by incorporating a geometric phase. Our devices' compactness, lightness, and ability to produce images even at large angles have significant potential for important emerging applications such as wearable optics.

Chiral Recognition and Separation by Chirality-Enriched Metal-Organic Frameworks.

Science.gov (United States)

Das, Saikat; Xu, Shixian; Ben, Teng; Qiu, Shilun

2018-05-16

Endowed with chiral channels and pores, chiral metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are highly useful; however, their synthesis remains a challenge given that most chiral building blocks are expensive. Although MOFs with induced chirality have been reported to avoid this shortcoming, no study providing evidence for the ee value of such MOFs has yet been reported. We herein describe the first study on the efficiency of chiral induction in MOFs using inexpensive achiral building blocks and fully recoverable chiral dopants to control the handedness of racemic MOFs. This method yielded chirality-enriched MOFs with accessible pores. The ability of the materials to form host-guest complexes was probed with enantiomers of varying size and coordination and in solvents with varying polarity. Furthermore, mixed-matrix membranes (MMMs) composed of chirality-enriched MOF particles dispersed in a polymer matrix demonstrated a new route for chiral separation. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Geometrical meaning of winding number and its characterization of topological phases in one-dimensional chiral non-Hermitian systems

Science.gov (United States)

Yin, Chuanhao; Jiang, Hui; Li, Linhu; Lü, Rong; Chen, Shu

2018-05-01

We unveil the geometrical meaning of winding number and utilize it to characterize the topological phases in one-dimensional chiral non-Hermitian systems. While chiral symmetry ensures the winding number of Hermitian systems are integers, it can take half integers for non-Hermitian systems. We give a geometrical interpretation of the half integers by demonstrating that the winding number ν of a non-Hermitian system is equal to half of the summation of two winding numbers ν1 and ν2 associated with two exceptional points, respectively. The winding numbers ν1 and ν2 represent the times of the real part of the Hamiltonian in momentum space encircling the exceptional points and can only take integers. We further find that the difference of ν1 and ν2 is related to the second winding number or energy vorticity. By applying our scheme to a non-Hermitian Su-Schrieffer-Heeger model and an extended version of it, we show that the topologically different phases can be well characterized by winding numbers. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the existence of left and right zero-mode edge states is closely related to the winding number ν1 and ν2.

Chiral NNLOsat descriptions of nuclear multipole resonances within the random-phase approximation

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Q.; Hu, B. S.; Xu, F. R.; Ma, Y. Z.; Dai, S. J.; Sun, Z. H.; Jansen, G. R.

2018-05-01

We study nuclear multipole resonances in the framework of the random-phase approximation by using the chiral potential NNLOsat. This potential includes two- and three-body terms that have been simultaneously optimized to low-energy nucleon-nucleon scattering data and selected nuclear structure data. Our main focuses have been the isoscalar monopole, isovector dipole, and isoscalar quadrupole resonances of the closed-shell nuclei, 4He, O 16 ,22 ,24 , and Ca,4840. These resonance modes have been widely observed in experiment. In addition, we use a renormalized chiral potential Vlow-k, based on the N3LO two-body potential by Entem and Machleidt [Phys. Rev. C 68, 041001 (2011), 10.1103/PhysRevC.68.041001]. This introduces a dependency on the cutoff parameter used in the normalization procedure as reported in previous works by other groups. While NNLOsat can reasonably reproduce observed multipole resonances, it is not possible to find a single cutoff parameter for the Vlow-k potential that simultaneously describes the different types of resonance modes. The sensitivity to the cutoff parameter can be explained by missing induced three-body forces in the calculations. Our results for neutron-rich O,2422 show a mixing nature of isoscalar and isovector resonances in the dipole channel at low energies. We predict that 22O and 24O have low-energy isoscalar quadrupole resonances at energies lower than 5 MeV.

Analyzing intrinsic plasmonic chirality by tracking the interplay of electric and magnetic dipole modes.

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Li; Huang, Yingzhou; Pan, Lujun; Fang, Yurui

2017-09-11

Plasmonic chirality represents significant potential for novel nanooptical devices due to its association with strong chiroptical responses. Previous reports on plasmonic chirality mechanism mainly focus on phase retardation and coupling. In this paper, we propose a model similar to the chiral molecules for explaining the intrinsic plasmonic chirality mechanism of varies 3D chiral structures quantitatively based on the interplay and mixing of electric and magnetic dipole modes (directly from electromagnetic field numerical simulations), which forms mixed electric and magnetic polarizability.

Dirac operator, chirality and random matrix theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pullirsch, R.

2001-05-01

Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) is considered to be the correct theory which describes quarks and gluons and, thus, all strong interaction phenomena from the fundamental forces of nature. However, important properties of QCD such as the physical mechanism of color confinement and the spontaneous breaking of chiral symmetry are still not completely understood and under extensive discussion. Analytical calculations are limited, because in the low-energy regime where quarks are confined, application of perturbation theory is restricted due to the large gluon coupling. A powerful tool to investigate numerically and analytically the non-perturbative region is provided by the lattice formulation of QCD. From Monte Carlo simulations of lattice QCD we know that chiral symmetry is restored above a critical temperature. As the chiral condensate is connected to the spectral density of the Dirac operator via the Banks-Casher relation, the QCD Dirac spectrum is an interesting object for detailed studies. In search for an analytical expression of the infrared limit of the Dirac spectrum it has been realized that chiral random-matrix theory (chRMT) is a suitable tool to compare with the distribution and the correlations of the small Dirac eigenvalues. Further, it has been shown that the correlations of eigenvalues on the scale of mean level spacings are universal for complex physical systems and are given by random-matrix theory (Rm). This has been formulated as the Baghouse-Giannoni-Schmit conjecture which states that spectral correlations of a classically chaotic system are given by RMT on the quantum level. The aim of this work is to analyze the relationship between chiral phase transitions and chaos to order transitions in quantum field theories. We study the eigenvalues of the Dirac operator for Quantum Electrodynamics (QED) with compact gauge group U(1) on the lattice. This theory shows chiral symmetry breaking and confinement in the strong coupling region. Although being

Chiral recognition and determination of enantiomeric excess by mass spectrometry: A review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yu, Xiangying; Yao, Zhong-Ping

2017-01-01

Chiral analysis is of great importance to fundamental and applied research in chemical, biological and pharmaceutical sciences. Due to the superiority of mass spectrometry (MS) over other analytical methods in terms of speed, specificity and sensitivity, chiral analysis by MS has attracted much interest in recent years. Chiral analysis by MS typically involves introduction of a chiral selector to form diastereomers with analyte enantiomers, and comparison of the behaviors of diastereomers in MS. Chiral differentiation can be achieved by comparing the relative abundances of diastereomers, the thermodynamic or kinetic constants of ion-molecule reactions of diastereomers in the gas phase, the dissociation of diastereomers in MS/MS, or the mobility of diastereomers in ion mobility mass spectrometry. In this review, chiral recognition and determination of enantiomeric excess by these chiral MS methods were summarized, and the prospects of chiral analysis by MS were discussed. - Highlights: • Both chiral recognition and determination of enantiomeric excess by mass spectrometry are systematically reviewed. • Classification is based on the behavioral differences of diastereomers formed between chiral analytes and chiral selectors. • Development of ion mobility mass spectrometry for chiral differentiation is covered. • Various methods are highlighted and compared.

Chiral recognition and determination of enantiomeric excess by mass spectrometry: A review

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yu, Xiangying [College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, Guangdong (China); State Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicine and Molecular Pharmacology (Incubation) and Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Food Biological Safety Control, Shenzhen Research Institute of Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Shenzhen 518057 (China); Yao, Zhong-Ping, E-mail: zhongping.yao@polyu.edu.hk [State Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicine and Molecular Pharmacology (Incubation) and Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Food Biological Safety Control, Shenzhen Research Institute of Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Shenzhen 518057 (China); Key Laboratory of Natural Resources of Changbai Mountain and Functional Molecules (Yanbian University), Ministry of Education, Yanji 133002, Jilin (China); State Key Laboratory of Chirosciences, Food Safety and Technology Research Centre and Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (China)

2017-05-22

Chiral analysis is of great importance to fundamental and applied research in chemical, biological and pharmaceutical sciences. Due to the superiority of mass spectrometry (MS) over other analytical methods in terms of speed, specificity and sensitivity, chiral analysis by MS has attracted much interest in recent years. Chiral analysis by MS typically involves introduction of a chiral selector to form diastereomers with analyte enantiomers, and comparison of the behaviors of diastereomers in MS. Chiral differentiation can be achieved by comparing the relative abundances of diastereomers, the thermodynamic or kinetic constants of ion-molecule reactions of diastereomers in the gas phase, the dissociation of diastereomers in MS/MS, or the mobility of diastereomers in ion mobility mass spectrometry. In this review, chiral recognition and determination of enantiomeric excess by these chiral MS methods were summarized, and the prospects of chiral analysis by MS were discussed. - Highlights: • Both chiral recognition and determination of enantiomeric excess by mass spectrometry are systematically reviewed. • Classification is based on the behavioral differences of diastereomers formed between chiral analytes and chiral selectors. • Development of ion mobility mass spectrometry for chiral differentiation is covered. • Various methods are highlighted and compared.

Chiral superfluidity of the quark-gluon plasma

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kalaydzhyan, Tigran [Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Hamburg (Germany); Institute for Theoretical and Experimental Physics ITEP, Moscow (Russian Federation)

2012-08-15

In this paper we argue that the strongly coupled quark-gluon plasma can be considered as a chiral superfluid. The ''normal'' component of the fluid is the thermalized matter in common sense, while the ''superfluid'' part consists of long wavelength (chiral) fermionic states moving independently. We use several nonperturbative techniques to demonstrate that. First, we analyze the fermionic spectrum in the deconfinement phase (T{sub c}chiral fermionic modes. Third, we use relativistic hydrodynamics for macroscopic description of the effective theory obtained after the bosonization. Finally, solving the hydrodynamic equations in gradient expansion, we find that in the presence of external electromagnetic fields the motion of the ''superfluid'' component gives rise to the chiral magnetic, chiral electric and dipole wave effects. Latter two effects are specific for a two-component fluid, which provides us with crucial experimental tests of the model.

Quark matter inside neutron stars in an effective chiral model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kotlorz, A.; Kutschera, M.

1994-02-01

An effective chiral model which describes properties of a single baryon predicts that the quark matter relevant to neutron stars, close to the deconfinement density, is in a chirally broken phase. We find the SU(2) model that pion-condensed up and down quark matter is preferred energetically at neutron star densities. It exhibits spin ordering and can posses a permanent magnetization. The equation of state of quark matter with chiral condensate is very well approximated by bag model equation of the state with suitably chosen parameters. We study quark cores inside neutron stars in this model using realistic nucleon equations of state. The biggest quark core corresponds to the second order phase transition to quark matter. Magnetic moment of the pion-condensed quark core is calculated. (author). 19 refs, 10 refs, 1 tab

Improved Procedure for Preparation of Covalently Bonded Cellulose Tris-phenylcarbamate Chiral Stationary Phases

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

秦峰; 陈小明; 刘月启; 邹汉法; 王俊德

2005-01-01

The classical method for preparation of covalently boned cellulose derivative chiral stationary phases (CSP) with diisocyanate as spacer was improved. Diisocyanate was firstly allowed to react with 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane, and the resulting product was then applied as the spacer reagent to immobilize cellulose derivatives onto silica gel. Influences of the amount and the length of the spacer on the optical resolution ability of the CSP were investigated. Comparing improved procedure to classical diisocyanate method, the cross-linking between the glucose units of the cellulose derivatives was avoided to the most extent. With the improved procedure, regio-nonselective ways could be adooted to prepare covalently bonded CSP, which showed an advantage for the rapid preparation.

New chiral and restricted-access materials containing glycopeptides as selectors for the high-performance liquid chromatographic determination of chiral drugs in biological matrices.

Science.gov (United States)

Gasparrini, Francesco; Cancelliere, Giovanna; Ciogli, Alessia; D'Acquarica, Ilaria; Misiti, Domenico; Villani, Claudio

2008-05-16

Two new chiral and restricted-access materials containing glycopeptide antibiotics as chiral selectors (chiro-Glyco-RAM) were designed, suitable for the direct HPLC injection of biological fluids containing chiral drugs without any sample pre-treatment or pre-columns coupling. The external surface of the porous silica support was covered with a bio-compatible hydrophilic polymeric network (polyvinyl alcohol, PVA) while the chiral phase based on either teicoplanin (TE) or teicoplanin aglycone (TAG) was exclusively confined to the internal region. The chiro-Glyco-RAM supports were synthesized by the following steps: (a) introduction of 3-aminopropyl groups on 100 A pore size silica gel; (b) activation of the aminopropylated silica with 1,6-diisocyanatohexane; (c) functionalization of the external region of the porous silica with PVA; (d) covalent linking of TE/TAG to the internal surface. The average pore diameter of the chiro-Glyco-RAM supports, calculated by inverse size-exclusion chromatography (ISEC), was about 80 A and able to exclude macromolecules heavier than about 20,000 Da (such as the most abundant serum proteins) from the pores. The recovery of bovine serum albumin (BSA) was almost quantitative. HPLC analyses of model chiral drugs were performed using hydro-organic mobile phases consisting of an organic solvent (acetonitrile or methanol) and aqueous solutions of ammonium acetate (0.020 M) or ammonium formate (0.0025-0.0050 M).

Geometrical approach to central molecular chirality: a chirality selection rule

OpenAIRE

Capozziello, S.; Lattanzi, A.

2004-01-01

Chirality is of primary importance in many areas of chemistry and has been extensively investigated since its discovery. We introduce here the description of central chirality for tetrahedral molecules using a geometrical approach based on complex numbers. According to this representation, for a molecule having n chiral centres, it is possible to define an index of chirality. Consequently a chirality selection rule has been derived which allows the characterization of a molecule as achiral, e...

Optical security devices using nonuniform schlieren texture of UV-curable nematic liquid crystal.

Science.gov (United States)

Nakayama, Keizo; Ohtsubo, Junji

2016-02-10

We proposed and quantitatively evaluated an optical security device that provides nonuniform or random patterns of schlieren texture in nematic liquid crystal as unique identification information with a design by employing computer image processing and normalized cross correlation. Using the same photomask as the first author's university logo, the written patterns, which were composed of polymerized isotropic areas and polymerized nematic areas, were stable among different cells. Judging from the maximum correlation coefficient of 0.09, the patterns of the schlieren texture were unique in different cells. These results indicate that photocurable nematic liquid crystal materials have the potential to be applied to security devices for anticounterfeiting measures.

Chiral nanophotonics chiral optical properties of plasmonic systems

CERN Document Server

Schäferling, Martin

2017-01-01

This book describes the physics behind the optical properties of plasmonic nanostructures focusing on chiral aspects. It explains in detail how the geometry determines chiral near-fields and how to tailor their shape and strength. Electromagnetic fields with strong optical chirality interact strongly with chiral molecules and, therefore, can be used for enhancing the sensitivity of chiroptical spectroscopy techniques. Besides a short review of the latest results in the field of plasmonically enhanced enantiomer discrimination, this book introduces the concept of chiral plasmonic near-field sources for enhanced chiroptical spectroscopy. The discussion of the fundamental properties of these light sources provides the theoretical basis for further optimizations and is of interest for researchers at the intersection of nano-optics, plasmonics and stereochemistry. .

Molecular-level Design of Heterogeneous Chiral Catalysts

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gellman, Andrew John [Carnegie Mellon University; Sholl, David S. [Georgia Institute of Technology; Tysoe, Wilfred T. [University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee; Zaera, Francisco [University of California at Riverside

2013-04-28

) modified by a variety of chiral templates. • Demonstrated enantioselective separation of racemic PO on chemically synthesized chiral gold nanoparticles. • Discovery of zwitterionic adsorption states of amino acids on Pd(111). • First structure determinations of adsorbed amino acids and identification of tetrameric chiral template structures. • Exploration of the enantiospecific interaction of PO and R-3-MCHO adsorption on chirally modified Cu(100), Cu(110) and Cu(111). One-to-One Interactions • Determination of cinchona orientation on Pt surfaces in situ at the solid-liquid interface using FT-IRAS. • Systematic study of the influence of solution properties on the adsorption of modified cinchonas alkaloids onto Pt surfaces. • Correlation of cinchona adsorption with catalytic activity, as affected by concentration, the nature of the solvent, and dissolved gases in the liquid phase. • Measurement of enantioselective chemisorption on 1-(1-naphthyl) ethylamine (NEA) modified Pt(111) and Pd(111) surfaces. • Imaging of chiral docking complexes between NEA and methyl pyruvate on Pd(111). Chiral Catalyst Synthesis • Anchoring of cinchona alkaloid to surfaces • Synthesis of chiral Au nanoparticles and demonstration of their enantiospecific interactions with R- and S-PO. • Elucidation of the driving forces for chiral imprinting of Cu(100) by L- and D-lysine to form Cu(3,1,17)R&S facets.

Investigation of the liquid crystalline phase transitions using the new modified Pople Karasz model

Science.gov (United States)

Yazıcı, Mustafa; Özgan, Şükrü; Keskin, Mustafa

2005-09-01

Thermodynamics of solid nematic and nematic isotropic liquid transitions are studied by using a new modified model that combines the modified theories of Chandrasekhar et al. with those Keskin and Özgan which are based on the Pople Karasz theory. The thermodynamic properties of the disordered system are evaluated relative to those of the perfectly ordered one within the lowest approximation of the cluster variation method which is identical to the mean-field approximation. The results are compared with the some available experimental data, the predictions of the original Pople Karasz (PK) theory and its previous modified theories. For nematic isotropic and s(nematic) at the transition temperatures, the agreement is very good and much better than the predictions of the PK theory and its previous modified theories. For the solid nematic transition, all theories give very nearly the same results, but the values are significantly lower than the observed data. Moreover, one of the theoretical phase diagrams is also qualitatively similar to the experimental phase diagram for p-azoxyphenetole (PAA).

Investigation of the liquid crystalline phase transitions using the new modified Pople-Karasz model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yazici, Mustafa; Oezgan, Suekrue; Keskin, Mustafa

2005-01-01

Thermodynamics of solid-nematic and nematic-isotropic liquid transitions are studied by using a new modified model that combines the modified theories of Chandrasekhar et al. with those Keskin and Oezgan which are based on the Pople-Karasz theory. The thermodynamic properties of the disordered system are evaluated relative to those of the perfectly ordered one within the lowest approximation of the cluster variation method which is identical to the mean-field approximation. The results are compared with the some available experimental data, the predictions of the original Pople-Karasz (PK) theory and its previous modified theories. For nematic-isotropic and s(nematic) at the transition temperatures, the agreement is very good and much better than the predictions of the PK theory and its previous modified theories. For the solid-nematic transition, all theories give very nearly the same results, but the values are significantly lower than the observed data. Moreover, one of the theoretical phase diagrams is also qualitatively similar to the experimental phase diagram for p-azoxyphenetole (PAA)

Interacting fermions in rotation: chiral symmetry restoration, moment of inertia and thermodynamics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chernodub, M.N.; Gongyo, Shinya

2017-01-01

We study rotating fermionic matter at finite temperature in the framework of the Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model. In order to respect causality the rigidly rotating system must be bound by a cylindrical boundary with appropriate boundary conditions that confine the fermions inside the cylinder. We show the finite geometry with the MIT boundary conditions affects strongly the phase structure of the model leading to three distinct regions characterized by explicitly broken (gapped), partially restored (nearly gapless) and spontaneously broken (gapped) phases at, respectively, small, moderate and large radius of the cylinder. The presence of the boundary leads to specific steplike irregularities of the chiral condensate as functions of coupling constant, temperature and angular frequency. These steplike features have the same nature as the Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations with the crucial difference that they occur in the absence of both external magnetic field and Fermi surface. At finite temperature the rotation leads to restoration of spontaneously broken chiral symmetry while the vacuum at zero temperature is insensitive to rotation (“cold vacuum cannot rotate”). As the temperature increases the critical angular frequency decreases and the transition becomes softer. A phase diagram in angular frequency-temperature plane is presented. We also show that at fixed temperature the fermion matter in the chirally restored (gapless) phase has a higher moment of inertia compared to the one in the chirally broken (gapped) phase.

Interacting fermions in rotation: chiral symmetry restoration, moment of inertia and thermodynamics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chernodub, M.N. [CNRS, Laboratoire de Mathématiques et Physique Théorique, Université de Tours,Tours (France); Laboratory of Physics of Living Matter, Far Eastern Federal University,Vladivostok (Russian Federation); Gongyo, Shinya [CNRS, Laboratoire de Mathématiques et Physique Théorique, Université de Tours,Tours (France); Theoretical Research Division, Nishina Center, RIKEN,Saitama (Japan)

2017-01-30

We study rotating fermionic matter at finite temperature in the framework of the Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model. In order to respect causality the rigidly rotating system must be bound by a cylindrical boundary with appropriate boundary conditions that confine the fermions inside the cylinder. We show the finite geometry with the MIT boundary conditions affects strongly the phase structure of the model leading to three distinct regions characterized by explicitly broken (gapped), partially restored (nearly gapless) and spontaneously broken (gapped) phases at, respectively, small, moderate and large radius of the cylinder. The presence of the boundary leads to specific steplike irregularities of the chiral condensate as functions of coupling constant, temperature and angular frequency. These steplike features have the same nature as the Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations with the crucial difference that they occur in the absence of both external magnetic field and Fermi surface. At finite temperature the rotation leads to restoration of spontaneously broken chiral symmetry while the vacuum at zero temperature is insensitive to rotation (“cold vacuum cannot rotate”). As the temperature increases the critical angular frequency decreases and the transition becomes softer. A phase diagram in angular frequency-temperature plane is presented. We also show that at fixed temperature the fermion matter in the chirally restored (gapless) phase has a higher moment of inertia compared to the one in the chirally broken (gapped) phase.

Renormalization of NN Interaction with Relativistic Chiral Two Pion Exchange

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Higa, R; Valderrama, M Pavon; Arriola, E Ruiz

2007-06-14

The renormalization of the NN interaction with the Chiral Two Pion Exchange Potential computed using relativistic baryon chiral perturbation theory is considered. The short distance singularity reduces the number of counter-terms to about a half as those in the heavy-baryon expansion. Phase shifts and deuteron properties are evaluated and a general overall agreement is observed.

From Navier–Stokes to chiral granular gases

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

This paper reviews the derivation of equations for slow dynamical processes in a variety of systems, including rotating rigid rotors, crystalline solids, isotropic and nematic elastomers, gels in an isotropic fluid background, and nematic liquid crystals. It presents a recent derivation of the Leslie–Ericksen equations for the ...

Perturbation Theory versus Thermodynamic Integration. Beyond a Mean-Field Treatment of Pair Correlations in a Nematic Model Liquid Crystal.

Science.gov (United States)

Schoen, Martin; Haslam, Andrew J; Jackson, George

2017-10-24

The phase behavior and structure of a simple square-well bulk fluid with anisotropic interactions is described in detail. The orientation dependence of the intermolecular interactions allows for the formation of a nematic liquid-crystalline phase in addition to the more conventional isotropic gas and liquid phases. A version of classical density functional theory (DFT) is employed to determine the properties of the model, and comparisons are made with the corresponding data from Monte Carlo (MC) computer simulations in both the grand canonical and canonical ensembles, providing a benchmark to assess the adequacy of the DFT results. A novel element of the DFT approach is the assumption that the structure of the fluid is dominated by intermolecular interactions in the isotropic fluid. A so-called augmented modified mean-field (AMMF) approximation is employed accounting for the influence of anisotropic interactions. The AMMF approximation becomes exact in the limit of vanishing density. We discuss advantages and disadvantages of the AMMF approximation with respect to an accurate description of isotropic and nematic branches of the phase diagram, the degree of orientational order, and orientation-dependent pair correlations. The performance of the AMMF approximations is found to be good in comparison with the MC data; the AMMF approximation has clear advantages with respect to an accurate and more detailed description of the fluid structure. Possible strategies to improve the DFT are discussed.

Cooper pair induced frustration and nematicity of two-dimensional magnetic adatom lattices

Science.gov (United States)

Schecter, Michael; Syljuâsen, Olav F.; Paaske, Jens

2018-05-01

We propose utilizing the Cooper pair to induce magnetic frustration in systems of two-dimensional (2D) magnetic adatom lattices on s -wave superconducting surfaces. The competition between singlet electron correlations and the RKKY coupling is shown to lead to a variety of hidden-order states that break the point-group symmetry of the 2D adatom lattice at finite temperature. The phase diagram is constructed using a newly developed effective bond theory [M. Schecter et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 119, 157202 (2017), 10.1103/PhysRevLett.119.157202], and exhibits broad regions of long-range vestigial nematic order.

Disoriented Chiral Condensates in High-Energy Nuclear Collisions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Randrup, Jorgen

2000-10-18

This brief lecture series discusses how our current understanding of chiral symmetry may be tested more globally in high-energy nuclear collisions by suitable extraction of pionic observables. After briefly recalling the general features of chiral symmetry, we focus on the SU(2) linear sigma model and show how a semi-classical mean-field treatment makes it possible to calculate its statistical properties, including the chiral phase diagram. Subsequently, we consider scenarios of relevance to high-energy collisions and discuss the features of the ensuing non-equilibrium dynamics and the associated characteristic signals. Finally, we illustrate how the presence of vacuum fluctuations or the inclusion of strangeness may affect the results quantitatively.

Isotropic-nematic transition in a mixture of hard spheres and hard spherocylinders: scaled particle theory description

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M.F. Holovko

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The scaled particle theory is developed for the description of thermodynamical properties of a mixture of hard spheres and hard spherocylinders. Analytical expressions for free energy, pressure and chemical potentials are derived. From the minimization of free energy, a nonlinear integral equation for the orientational singlet distribution function is formulated. An isotropic-nematic phase transition in this mixture is investigated from the bifurcation analysis of this equation. It is shown that with an increase of concentration of hard spheres, the total packing fraction of a mixture on phase boundaries slightly increases. The obtained results are compared with computer simulations data.

Strong Broadband Terahertz Optical Activity through Control of the Blaschke Phase with Chiral Metasurfaces

Science.gov (United States)

Cole, Michael A.; Chen, Wen-chen; Liu, Mingkai; Kruk, Sergey S.; Padilla, Willie J.; Shadrivov, Ilya V.; Powell, David A.

2017-07-01

We demonstrate terahertz chiral metamaterials that achieve resonant transmission and strong optical activity. This response is realized in a metasurface coupled to its Babinet complement, with additional twist. Uniquely, the optical activity achieved in this type of metamaterial is weakly dispersive around the resonant transmission maxima, but it can be highly dispersive around the transmission minima. It has recently been shown that this unique optical activity response is closely related to zeros in the transmission spectra of circular polarizations through the Kramers-Kronig relations and strong resonant features in the optical activity spectrum corresponding to the Blaschke phase terms. Here we demonstrate how modifying the meta-atom geometry greatly affects the location and magnitude of these Blaschke phase terms. We study three different meta-atoms, which are variations on the simple cross structure. Their responses are measured using terahertz time-domain spectroscopy and analyzed via numerical simulations.

Hidden QCD in Chiral Gauge Theories

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ryttov, Thomas; Sannino, Francesco

2005-01-01

The 't Hooft and Corrigan-Ramond limits of massless one-flavor QCD consider the two Weyl fermions to be respectively in the fundamental representation or the two index antisymmetric representation of the gauge group. We introduce a limit in which one of the two Weyl fermions is in the fundamental...... representation and the other in the two index antisymmetric representation of a generic SU(N) gauge group. This theory is chiral and to avoid gauge anomalies a more complicated chiral theory is needed. This is the generalized Georgi-Glashow model with one vector like fermion. We show that there is an interesting...... phase in which the considered chiral gauge theory, for any N, Higgses via a bilinear condensate: The gauge interactions break spontaneously to ordinary massless one-flavor SU(3) QCD. The additional elementary fermionic matter is uncharged under this SU(3) gauge theory. It is also seen that when...

On the overlap prescription for lattice regularization of chiral fermions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Randjbar-Daemi, S.; Strathdee, J.

1995-12-01

Feynman rules for the vacuum amplitude of fermions coupled to external gauge and Higgs fields in a domain wall lattice model are derived using time-dependent perturbation theory. They have a clear and simple structure corresponding to 1-loop vacuum graphs. Their continuum approximations are extracted by isolating the infrared singularities and it is shown that, in each order, they reduce to vacuum contributions for chiral fermions. In this sense the lattice model is seen to constitute a valid regularization of the continuum theory of chiral fermions coupled to weak and slowly varying gauge and Higgs fields. The overlap amplitude, while not gauge invariant, exhibits a well defined (module phase conventions) response to gauge transformations of the background fields. This response reduces in the continuum limit to the expected chiral anomaly, independently of the phase convention. (author). 20 refs

On the overlap prescription for lattice regularization of chiral fermions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Randjbar-Daemi, S; Strathdee, J

1995-12-01

Feynman rules for the vacuum amplitude of fermions coupled to external gauge and Higgs fields in a domain wall lattice model are derived using time-dependent perturbation theory. They have a clear and simple structure corresponding to 1-loop vacuum graphs. Their continuum approximations are extracted by isolating the infrared singularities and it is shown that, in each order, they reduce to vacuum contributions for chiral fermions. In this sense the lattice model is seen to constitute a valid regularization of the continuum theory of chiral fermions coupled to weak and slowly varying gauge and Higgs fields. The overlap amplitude, while not gauge invariant, exhibits a well defined (module phase conventions) response to gauge transformations of the background fields. This response reduces in the continuum limit to the expected chiral anomaly, independently of the phase convention. (author). 20 refs.

Continuous director-field transformation of nematic tactoids

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Prinsen, P.; Schoot, van der P.P.A.M.

2004-01-01

We theoretically investigate the director field inside spindle-shaped nematic droplets, known as tactoids. Tactoids typically form in dispersions of rod-like colloidal particles. By optimising the bulk elastic and surface energies, we find that the director field crosses over smoothly from a

Numerical evidence of liquid crystalline mesophases of a lollipop shaped model in two dimensions

Science.gov (United States)

Pérez-Lemus, G. R.; Armas-Pérez, J. C.; Chapela, G. A.; Quintana-H., J.

2017-12-01

Small alterations in the molecular details may produce noticeable changes in the symmetry of the resulting phase behavior. It is possible to produce morphologies having different n-fold symmetries by manipulating molecular features such as chirality, polarity or anisotropy. In this paper, a two dimensional hard molecular model is introduced to study the formation of liquid crystalline phases in low dimensionality. The model is similar to that reported by Julio C. Armas-Pérez and Jacqueline Quintana-H., Phys. Rev. E 83, 051709 (2011). The main difference is the lack of chirality in the model proposed, although they share some characteristics like the geometrical polarity. Our model is called a lollipop model, because its shape is constructed by a rounded section attached to the end of a stick. Contrary to what happens in three dimensions where chiral nematogens produce interesting and complex phases such as blue phases, the lack of molecular chirality of our model generates a richer phase diagram compared to the chiral system. We show numerical and some geometrical evidences that the lack of laterality of the non chiral model seems to provide more routes of molecular self-assembly, producing triatic, a random cluster and possibly a tetratic phase behavior which were not presented in the previous work. We support our conclusions using results obtained from isobaric and isochoric Monte Carlo simulations. Properties as the n-fold order parameters such as the nematic, tetratic and triatic as well as their correlation functions were used to characterize the phases. We also provide the Fourier transform of equilibrium configurations to analyze the n-fold symmetry characteristic of each phase.

The origin of chirality in protein amino acids

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chela Flores, J.

1994-03-01

We discuss the origin of the chirality of protein amino acids from the point of view of a phase transition from a racemic mixture into an optically pure state. We assume that Bose-Einstein condensation may act as an amplification mechanism. The originals theory is due to Salam. We suggest a new role for the phase transition. Following Quack we distinguish parity violation of two kinds (de facto and de lege symmetry breaking). While the Salam phase transition corresponds to parity violation of the second kind (de lege), the phase transition we discuss in this work corresponds to parity violation of what we may call a third kind. This is suggested by recent experimental phenomena which correlate chiral symmetry breaking and pattern formation (spontaneous symmetry breaking that separates an initial racemic mixture into right- and left-handed space domains by means of a substrate). Tentative comments are given on the eventual design of possible experiments that may test this new hypothesis. (author). Refs

Thermal diode made by nematic liquid crystal

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Melo, Djair, E-mail: djfmelo@gmail.com [Instituto de Física, Universidade Federal de Alagoas, Av. Lourival Melo Mota, s/n, 57072-900 Maceió, AL (Brazil); Fernandes, Ivna [Instituto de Física, Universidade Federal de Alagoas, Av. Lourival Melo Mota, s/n, 57072-900 Maceió, AL (Brazil); Moraes, Fernando [Departamento de Física, CCEN, Universidade Federal da Paraíba, Caixa Postal 5008, 58051-900, João Pessoa, PB (Brazil); Departamento de Física, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, 52171-900 Recife, PE (Brazil); Fumeron, Sébastien [Institut Jean Lamour, Université de Lorraine, BP 239, Boulevard des Aiguillettes, 54506 Vandoeuvre les Nancy (France); Pereira, Erms [Escola Politécnica de Pernambuco, Universidade de Pernambuco, Rua Benfíca, 455, Madalena, 50720-001 Recife, PE (Brazil)

2016-09-07

This work investigates how a thermal diode can be designed from a nematic liquid crystal confined inside a cylindrical capillary. In the case of homeotropic anchoring, a defect structure called escaped radial disclination arises. The asymmetry of such structure causes thermal rectification rates up to 3.5% at room temperature, comparable to thermal diodes made from carbon nanotubes. Sensitivity of the system with respect to the heat power supply, the geometry of the capillary tube and the molecular anchoring angle is also discussed. - Highlights: • An escaped radial disclination as a thermal diode made by a nematic liquid crystal. • Rectifying effects comparable to those caused by carbon and boron nitride nanotubes. • Thermal rectification increasing with radius and decreasing with height of the tube. • Asymmetric BCs cause rectification from the spatial asymmetry produced by the escape. • Symmetric BCs provide rectifications smaller than those yields by asymmetric BCs.

Effects of strain on the electronic structure, superconductivity, and nematicity in FeSe studied by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy

Science.gov (United States)

Phan, G. N.; Nakayama, K.; Sugawara, K.; Sato, T.; Urata, T.; Tanabe, Y.; Tanigaki, K.; Nabeshima, F.; Imai, Y.; Maeda, A.; Takahashi, T.

2017-06-01

One of central issues in iron-based superconductors is the role of structural change to the superconducting transition temperature (Tc). It was found in FeSe that the lattice strain leads to a drastic increase in Tc, accompanied by suppression of nematic order. By angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy on tensile- or compressive-strained and strain-free FeSe, we experimentally show that the in-plane strain causes a marked change in the energy overlap (Δ Eh -e ) between the hole and electron pockets in the normal state. The change in Δ Eh -e modifies the Fermi-surface volume, leading to a change in Tc. Furthermore, the strength of nematicity is also found to be characterized by Δ Eh -e . These results suggest that the key to understanding the phase diagram is the fermiology and interactions linked to the semimetallic band overlap.

Evidence for a helical and a chiral phase transition in the Gd(hfac){sub 3}NITiPr magnetic specific heat

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cinti, F. [INFM and Department of Physics, University of Florence, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino (Italy)]. E-mail: fabio.cinti@fi.infn.it; Rettori, A. [INFM and Department of Physics, University of Florence, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino (Italy); Barucci, M. [INFM and Department of Physics, University of Florence, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino (Italy); Olivieri, E. [INFM and Department of Physics, University of Florence, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino (Italy); Risegari, L. [INFM and Department of Physics, University of Florence, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino (Italy); Ventura, G. [INFM and Department of Physics, University of Florence, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino (Italy); Caneschi, A. [Department of Inorganic Chemistry, University of Florence, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino (Italy); Gatteschi, D. [Department of Inorganic Chemistry, University of Florence, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino (Italy); Rovai, D. [Department of Inorganic Chemistry, University of Florence, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino (Italy); Pini, M.G. [ISC-CNR, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino (Italy); Affronte, M. [INFM-S3 and Department of Physics, University of Modena, 41100 Modena (Italy); Mariani, M. [INFM and Department of Physics, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia (Italy); Lascialfari, A. [Istituto di Fisiologia e Chimica Biologica, University of Milano, Milano (Italy); INFM and Department of Physics, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia (Italy)

2007-03-15

New specific heat data taken at very low temperatures (0.03phase. They match fairly well with previously reported data which showed the onset of the chiral phase transition at T{sub 0}=2.08K. Also new magnetic susceptibility data taken in the neighborhood at T{sub 0} are repeated.

Chirality-specific lift forces of helix under shear flows: Helix perpendicular to shear plane.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Qi-Yi

2017-02-01

Chiral objects in shear flow experience a chirality-specific lift force. Shear flows past helices in a low Reynolds number regime were studied using slender-body theory. The chirality-specific lift forces in the vorticity direction experienced by helices are dominated by a set of helix geometry parameters: helix radius, pitch length, number of turns, and helix phase angle. Its analytical formula is given. The chirality-specific forces are the physical reasons for the chiral separation of helices in shear flow. Our results are well supported by the latest experimental observations. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Chiral memory via chiral amplification and selective depolymerization of porphyrin aggregates

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Helmich, F.A.; Lee, C.C.; Schenning, A.P.H.J.; Meijer, E.W.

2010-01-01

Chiral memory at the supramolecular level is obtained via a new approach using chiral Zn porphrins and achiral Cu porphyrins. In a "sergeant-and-soldiers" experiment, the Zn "sergeant" transfers its own chirality to Cu "soldiers" and, after chiral amplification, the "sergeant" is removed from the

Deformable nematic droplets in a magnetic field

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Otten, R.H.J.; van der Schoot, P. P. A. M.

2012-01-01

We present a Frank-Oseen elasticity theory for the shape and structure of deformable nematic droplets with homeotropic surface anchoring in the presence of a magnetic field. Inspired by recent experimental observations, we focus on the case where the magnetic susceptibility is negative, and find

Phases of Holographic QCD

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lippert, Matthew

2009-01-01

We investigated the Sakai-Sugimoto model of large N QCD at nonzero temperature and baryon chemical potential and in the presence of background electric and magnetic fields. We studied the holographic representation of baryons and the deconfinement, chiral-symmetry breaking, and nuclear matter phase transitions. In a background electric field, chiral-symmetry breaking corresponds to an insulator-conductor transition. A magnetic field both catalyzes chiral-symmetry breaking and generates, in the confined phase, a pseudo-scalar gradient or, in the deconfined phase, an axial current. The resulting phase diagram is in qualitative agreement with studies of hot, dense QCD.

Chiral Cliffs: Investigating the Influence of Chirality on Binding Affinity.

Science.gov (United States)

Schneider, Nadine; Lewis, Richard A; Fechner, Nikolas; Ertl, Peter

2018-05-11

Chirality is understood by many as a binary concept: a molecule is either chiral or it is not. In terms of the action of a structure on polarized light, this is indeed true. When examined through the prism of molecular recognition, the answer becomes more nuanced. In this work, we investigated chiral behavior on protein-ligand binding: when does chirality make a difference in binding activity? Chirality is a property of the 3D structure, so recognition also requires an appreciation of the conformation. In many situations, the bioactive conformation is undefined. We set out to address this by defining and using several novel 2D descriptors to capture general characteristic features of the chiral center. Using machine-learning methods, we built different predictive models to estimate if a chiral pair (a set of two enantiomers) might exhibit a chiral cliff in a binding assay. A set of about 3800 chiral pairs extracted from the ChEMBL23 database was used to train and test our models. By achieving an accuracy of up to 75 %, our models provide good performance in discriminating chiral cliffs from non-cliffs. More importantly, we were able to derive some simple guidelines for when one can reasonably use a racemate and when an enantiopure compound is needed in an assay. We critically discuss our results and show detailed examples of using our guidelines. Along with this publication we provide our dataset, our novel descriptors, and the Python code to rebuild the predictive models. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Orientational Order of Carbon Nanotube Guests in a Nematic Host Suspension of Colloidal Viral Rods

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Puech, N.; Dennison, M.; Blanc, C.; van der Schoot, P.; van Roij, R.; Poulin, P.; Grelet, E.

2012-01-01

In order to investigate the coupling between the degrees of alignment of elongated particles in binary nematic dispersions, surfactant stabilized single-wall carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been added to nematic suspensions of colloidal rodlike viruses in aqueous solution. We have independently

Orientational order of carbon nanotube guests in a nematic host suspension of colloidal viral rods

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Puech, N.; Dennison, M.; Blanc, C.; Schoot, van der P.P.A.M.; Dijkstra, Marjolein; Roij, van R.; Poulin, P.; Grelet, E.

2012-01-01

In order to investigate the coupling between the degrees of alignment of elongated particles in binary nematic dispersions, surfactant stabilized single-wall carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been added to nematic suspensions of colloidal rodlike viruses in aqueous solution. We have independently

Spontaneous electrorheological effect in nematic liquid crystals under Taylor-Couette flow configuration

Science.gov (United States)

Dhar, Jayabrata; Chakraborty, Suman

2017-09-01

Electrorheological (ER) characteristics of Nematic Liquid Crystals (NLCs) have been a topic of immense interest in the field of soft matter physics owing to its rheological modulation capabilities. Here we explore the augmentation in rheological characteristics of the nematic fluid confined within the annular region of the concentric cylindrical space with an Electrical Double Layer (EDL) induced at the fluid-substrate interface due to certain physico-chemical interactions. Using a Taylor-Couette flow configuration associated with an EDL induced at the inner cylinder wall, we show that a spontaneous electrorheological effect is generated owing to the intrinsic director anisotropy and structural order of complex nematic fluids. We seek to find the enhancement in torque transfer capability due to the inherent electrorheological nature of the nematic medium, apart from exploiting the innate nature of such homogeneous media to remain free of coagulation, a fact which makes it an excellent candidate for the applications in microfluidic environment. Our analysis reveals that with stronger induced charge density within the EDL, the apparent viscosity enhances, which, in turn, augments torque transfer across the concentric cylinder. The velocity profile tends to flatten in comparison to the classical circular Couette flow in annular geometry as one increases the surface charge density. We further observe a more pronounced ER effect for the nematic medium having larger electrical permittivity anisotropy. Besides the torque transfer qualifications, we also explore the distinct scenarios, wherein the same NLC medium exhibits shear thinning and shear thickening characteristics. The present configuration of the efficient torque transfer mechanism may be proficiently downscaled to micro-level and is relevant in the fabrication of micro-clutch and micro-dampers.

Thermal chiral vortical and magnetic waves: New excitation modes in chiral fluids

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kalaydzhyan, Tigran, E-mail: tigran@caltech.edu [Department of Physics, University of Illinois, 845 W Taylor Street, Chicago, IL 60607 (United States); Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 4800 Oak Grove Dr, M/S 298, Pasadena, CA 91109 (United States); Murchikova, Elena [TAPIR, California Institute of Technology, MC 350-17, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States)

2017-06-15

In certain circumstances, chiral (parity-violating) medium can be described hydrodynamically as a chiral fluid with microscopic quantum anomalies. Possible examples of such systems include strongly coupled quark–gluon plasma, liquid helium {sup 3}He-A, neutron stars and the Early Universe. We study first-order hydrodynamics of a chiral fluid on a vortex background and in an external magnetic field. We show that there are two previously undiscovered modes describing heat waves propagating along the vortex and magnetic field. We call them the Thermal Chiral Vortical Wave and Thermal Chiral Magnetic Wave. We also identify known gapless excitations of density (chiral vortical and chiral magnetic waves) and transverse velocity (chiral Alfvén wave). We demonstrate that the velocity of the chiral vortical wave is zero, when the full hydrodynamic framework is applied, and hence the wave is absent and the excitation reduces to the charge diffusion mode. We also comment on the frame-dependent contributions to the obtained propagation velocities.

Thermal chiral vortical and magnetic waves: New excitation modes in chiral fluids

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kalaydzhyan, Tigran; Murchikova, Elena

2017-01-01

In certain circumstances, chiral (parity-violating) medium can be described hydrodynamically as a chiral fluid with microscopic quantum anomalies. Possible examples of such systems include strongly coupled quark–gluon plasma, liquid helium "3He-A, neutron stars and the Early Universe. We study first-order hydrodynamics of a chiral fluid on a vortex background and in an external magnetic field. We show that there are two previously undiscovered modes describing heat waves propagating along the vortex and magnetic field. We call them the Thermal Chiral Vortical Wave and Thermal Chiral Magnetic Wave. We also identify known gapless excitations of density (chiral vortical and chiral magnetic waves) and transverse velocity (chiral Alfvén wave). We demonstrate that the velocity of the chiral vortical wave is zero, when the full hydrodynamic framework is applied, and hence the wave is absent and the excitation reduces to the charge diffusion mode. We also comment on the frame-dependent contributions to the obtained propagation velocities.

Thermal chiral vortical and magnetic waves: New excitation modes in chiral fluids

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tigran Kalaydzhyan

2017-06-01

Full Text Available In certain circumstances, chiral (parity-violating medium can be described hydrodynamically as a chiral fluid with microscopic quantum anomalies. Possible examples of such systems include strongly coupled quark–gluon plasma, liquid helium 3He-A, neutron stars and the Early Universe. We study first-order hydrodynamics of a chiral fluid on a vortex background and in an external magnetic field. We show that there are two previously undiscovered modes describing heat waves propagating along the vortex and magnetic field. We call them the Thermal Chiral Vortical Wave and Thermal Chiral Magnetic Wave. We also identify known gapless excitations of density (chiral vortical and chiral magnetic waves and transverse velocity (chiral Alfvén wave. We demonstrate that the velocity of the chiral vortical wave is zero, when the full hydrodynamic framework is applied, and hence the wave is absent and the excitation reduces to the charge diffusion mode. We also comment on the frame-dependent contributions to the obtained propagation velocities.

Orientational order of carbon nanotube guests in a nematic host suspension of colloidal viral rods

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Puech, N.; Dennison, M; Blanc, C; van der Schoot, P. P. A. M.; Dijkstra, M.; Van Roij, R.; Poulin, P.; Grelet, E

2012-01-01

In order to investigate the coupling between the degrees of alignment of elongated particles in binary nematic dispersions, surfactant stabilized single-wall carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been added to nematic suspensions of colloidal rodlike viruses in aqueous solution.We have independently measured

Insight into the chiral induction in supramolecular stacks through preferential chiral salvation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

George, S.J.; Tomovic, Z.; Schenning, A.P.H.J.; Meijer, E.W.

2011-01-01

Preferred handedness in the supramolecular chirality of self-assembled achiral oligo(p-phenylenevinylene) (OPV) derivatives is induced by chiral solvents and spectroscopic probing provides insight into the mechanistic aspects of this chiral induction through chiral solvation

Functional organic materials based on polymerized liquid-crystal monomers: supramolecular hydrogen-bonded systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Broer, Dirk J; Bastiaansen, Cees M W; Debije, Michael G; Schenning, Albertus P H J

2012-07-16

Functional organic materials are of great interest for a variety of applications. To obtain precise functional properties, well-defined hierarchically ordered supramolecular materials are crucial. The self-assembly of liquid crystals has proven to be an extremely useful tool in the development of well-defined nanostructured materials. We have chosen the illustrative example of photopolymerizable hydrogen-bonding mesogens to show that a wide variety of functional materials can be made from a relatively simple set of building blocks. Upon mixing these compounds with other reactive mesogens, nematic, chiral nematic, and smectic or columnar liquid-crystalline phases can be formed that can be applied as actuators, sensors and responsive reflectors, and nanoporous membranes, respectively. Copyright © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Reverse-mode thermoresponsive light attenuators produced by optical anisotropic composites of nematic liquid crystals and reactive mesogens

Science.gov (United States)

Kakiuchida, Hiroshi; Ogiwara, Akifumi

2018-04-01

Polymer network liquid crystals (PNLCs) whose optical transmittance state switches between transparence at low temperatures and haze at high temperatures were fabricated from mixtures of nematic liquid crystals (LCs) and reactive mesogens (RMs). This PNLC structure is simple but effective, namely, consists of micro-scale domains of orientation-ordered LCs and anisotropically polymerized RMs. The domains form through photopolymerization induced phase separation with inhomogeneous irradiation projected by laser speckling techniques. This irradiation method enables you to control the size and shape of phase-separation domains, and these PNLCs can be applied to novel thermoresponsive optical devices; optical isolators, thermometric sheets, and smart windows.

Effects of molecular chirality on self-assembly and switching in liquid crystals at the cross-over between rod-like and bent shapes.

Science.gov (United States)

Ocak, Hale; Poppe, Marco; Bilgin-Eran, Belkız; Karanlık, Gürkan; Prehm, Marko; Tschierske, Carsten

2016-09-21

A bent-core compound derived from a 4-cyanoresorcinol core unit with two terephthalate based rod-like wings and carrying chiral 3,7-dimethyloctyloxy side chains has been synthesized in racemic and enantiomerically pure form and characterized by polarizing microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffraction and electro-optical investigations to study the influence of molecular chirality on the superstructural chirality and polar order in lamellar liquid crystalline phases. Herein we demonstrate that the coupling of molecular chirality with superstructural layer chirality in SmCsPF domain phases (forming energetically distinct diastereomeric pairs) can fix the tilt direction and thus stabilize synpolar order, leading to bistable ferroelectric switching in the SmC* phases of the (S)-enantiomer, whereas tristable modes determine the switching of the racemate. Moreover, the mechanism of electric field induced molecular reorganization changes from a rotation around the molecular long axis in the racemate to a rotation on the tilt-cone for the (S)-enantiomer. At high temperature the enantiomer behaves like a rod-like molecule with a chirality induced ferroelectric SmC* phase and an electroclinic effect in the SmA'* phase. At reduced temperature sterically induced polarization, due to the bent molecular shape, becomes dominating, leading to much higher polarization values, thus providing access to high polarization ferroelectric materials with weakly bent compounds having only "weakly chiral" stereogenic units. Moreover, the field induced alignment of the SmCsPF(()*()) domains gives rise to a special kind of electroclinic effect appearing even in the absence of molecular chirality. Comparison with related compounds indicates that the strongest effects of chirality appear for weakly bent molecules with a relatively short coherence length of polar order, whereas for smectic phases with long range polar order the effects of the interlayer interfaces can override

Novel Chiral Magnetic Domain Wall Structure in Fe/Ni/Cu(001) Films

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, G.; Zhu, J.; Quesada, A.; Li, J.; N'Diaye, A. T.; Huo, Y.; Ma, T. P.; Chen, Y.; Kwon, H. Y.; Won, C.; Qiu, Z. Q.; Schmid, A. K.; Wu, Y. Z.

2013-04-01

Using spin-polarized low energy electron microscopy, we discovered a new type of domain wall structure in perpendicularly magnetized Fe/Ni bilayers grown epitaxially on Cu(100). Specifically, we observed unexpected Néel-type walls with fixed chirality in the magnetic stripe phase. Furthermore, we find that the chirality of the domain walls is determined by the film growth order with the chirality being right handed in Fe/Ni bilayers and left handed in Ni/Fe bilayers, suggesting that the underlying mechanism is the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction at the film interfaces. Our observations may open a new route to control chiral spin structures using interfacial engineering in transition metal heterostructures.

Application of Homochiral Alkylated Organic Cages as Chiral Stationary Phases for Molecular Separations by Capillary Gas Chromatography.

Science.gov (United States)

Xie, Shengming; Zhang, Junhui; Fu, Nan; Wang, Bangjin; Hu, Cong; Yuan, Liming

2016-11-08

Molecular organic cage compounds have attracted considerable attention due to their potential applications in gas storage, catalysis, chemical sensing, molecular separations, etc. In this study, a homochiral pentyl cage compound was synthesized from a condensation reaction of ( S , S )-1,2-pentyl-1,2-diaminoethane and 1,3,5-triformylbenzene. The imine-linked pentyl cage diluted with a polysiloxane (OV-1701) was explored as a novel stationary phase for high-resolution gas chromatographic separation of organic compounds. Some positional isomers were baseline separated on the pentyl cage-coated capillary column. In particular, various types of enantiomers including chiral alcohols, esters, ethers and epoxides can be resolved without derivatization on the pentyl cage-coated capillary column. The reproducibility of the pentyl cage-coated capillary column for separation was investigated using nitrochlorobenzene and styrene oxide as analytes. The results indicate that the column has good stability and separation reproducibility after being repeatedly used. This work demonstrates that molecular organic cage compounds could become a novel class of chiral separation media in the near future.

Application of Homochiral Alkylated Organic Cages as Chiral Stationary Phases for Molecular Separations by Capillary Gas Chromatography

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shengming Xie

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Molecular organic cage compounds have attracted considerable attention due to their potential applications in gas storage, catalysis, chemical sensing, molecular separations, etc. In this study, a homochiral pentyl cage compound was synthesized from a condensation reaction of (S,S-1,2-pentyl-1,2-diaminoethane and 1,3,5-triformylbenzene. The imine-linked pentyl cage diluted with a polysiloxane (OV-1701 was explored as a novel stationary phase for high-resolution gas chromatographic separation of organic compounds. Some positional isomers were baseline separated on the pentyl cage-coated capillary column. In particular, various types of enantiomers including chiral alcohols, esters, ethers and epoxides can be resolved without derivatization on the pentyl cage-coated capillary column. The reproducibility of the pentyl cage-coated capillary column for separation was investigated using nitrochlorobenzene and styrene oxide as analytes. The results indicate that the column has good stability and separation reproducibility after being repeatedly used. This work demonstrates that molecular organic cage compounds could become a novel class of chiral separation media in the near future.

Lattice-QCD based Schwinger-Dyson approach for Chiral phase transition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iida, Hideaki; Oka, Makoto; Suganuma, Hideo

2005-01-01

Dynamical chiral-symmetry breaking in QCD is studied with the Schwinger-Dyson (SD) formalism based on lattice QCD data, i.e., LQCD-based SD formalism. We extract the SD kernel function K(p 2 ) in an Ansatzindependent manner from the lattice data of the quark propagator in the Landau gauge. As remarkable features, we find infrared vanishing and intermediate enhancement of the SD kernel function K(p 2 ). We apply the LQCD-based SD equation to thermal QCD with the quark chemical potential μ q . We find chiral symmetry restoration at T c ∼100MeV for μ q =0. The real part of the quark mass function decreases as T and μ q . At finite density, there appears the imaginary part of the quark mass function, which would lead to the width broadening of hadrons

Autoamplification of molecular chirality through the induction of supramolecular chirality

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Dijken, Derk Jan; Beierle, John M.; Stuart, Marc C. A.; Szymanski, Wiktor; Browne, Wesley R.; Feringa, Ben L.

2014-01-01

The novel concept for the autoamplification of molecular chirality, wherein the amplification proceeds through the induction of supramolecular chirality, is presented. A solution of prochiral, ring-open diarylethenes is doped with a small amount of their chiral, ring-closed counterpart. The

Active chiral fluids.

Science.gov (United States)

Fürthauer, S; Strempel, M; Grill, S W; Jülicher, F

2012-09-01

Active processes in biological systems often exhibit chiral asymmetries. Examples are the chirality of cytoskeletal filaments which interact with motor proteins, the chirality of the beat of cilia and flagella as well as the helical trajectories of many biological microswimmers. Here, we derive constitutive material equations for active fluids which account for the effects of active chiral processes. We identify active contributions to the antisymmetric part of the stress as well as active angular momentum fluxes. We discuss four types of elementary chiral motors and their effects on a surrounding fluid. We show that large-scale chiral flows can result from the collective behavior of such motors even in cases where isolated motors do not create a hydrodynamic far field.

A series of intrinsically chiral gold nanocage structures.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, X J; Hamilton, I P

2017-07-27

We present a series of intrinsically chiral gold nanocage structures, Au 9n+6 , which are stable for n ≥ 2. These structures consist of an Au 9n tube which is capped with Au 3 units at each end. Removing the Au 3 caps, we obtain a series of intrinsically chiral gold nanotube structures, Au 9n , which are stable for n ≥ 4. The intrinsic chirality of these structures results from the helicity of the gold strands which form the tube and not because an individual Au atom is a chiral center. The symmetry of these structures is C 3 and substructures of gold hexagons with a gold atom in the middle are particularly prominent. We focus on the properties of Au 42 (C 3 ) and Au 105 (C 3 ) which are the two smallest gold nanocage structures to be completely tiled by these Au 7 "golden-eye" substructures. Our main focus is on Au 42 (C 3 ) since gold clusters in the 40-50 atom regime are currently being investigated in gas phase experiments. We show that the intrinsically chiral Au 42 cage structure is energetically comparable with previously reported achiral cage and compact Au 42 structures. Cage structures are of particular interest because species can be encapsulated (and stabilized) inside the cage and we provide strong evidence that Au 6 @Au 42 (C 3 ) is the global minimum Au 48 structure. The intrinsically chiral gold nanocage structures, which exhibit a range of size-related properties, have potential applications in chiral catalysis and as components in nanostructured devices.

Design, preparation and application of a Pirkle-type chiral stationary phase for enantioseparation of some racemic organic acids and molecular dynamics studies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Reşit Çakmak

2017-08-01

Full Text Available This study consists of two parts. In the first part of the study; a Pirkle-type chiral stationary phase was prepared by synthesizing an aromatic amine derivative of (R-2-amino-1-butanol as a chiral selectorand binding to L- tyrosine -modified cyanogen bromide (CNBr-activated Sepharose 4B and then, packed into the separation column. T he chromatographic performance of the separation column was evaluated w ith racemic mandelic acid and 2-phenylpropionic acid by using phosphate buffers at three different pHs as mobile phase. In the resolution processes, t he prepared solutions were loaded onto the separation column at two different concentrations and at three different pHs for each racemic organic acid, separately. Enantiomeric excess (ee % of the eluates was determined on CHIRALPAK AD-H chiral analytical column by HPLC. The maximum ee% for mandelic acid and 2-phenylpropionic acid was determined to be 60.84 and 27.4, respectively. Separation factors (k 1 ’, k 2 ’, α, and Rs were calculated for each acid. The structures of the obtained compounds were characterized using the spectroscopic methods (NMR, and elemental analysis. In the second part of the study; enantioselective interactions between the prepared CSP and the analytes have been widely studied by docking, molecular dynamics simulation and quantum mechanical computation methods. The reason of column eluation of rac-2-phenylpropionic acid with lower enantiomeric yield was explained by these techniques.

Communication: Probing the absolute configuration of chiral molecules at aqueous interfaces

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lotze, Stephan, E-mail: lotze@amolf.nl; Versluis, Jan [FOM Institute for Atomic and Molecular Physics, Science Park 104, 1098 XG Amsterdam (Netherlands); Olijve, Luuk L. C.; Schijndel, Luuk van; Milroy, Lech G.; Voets, Ilja K. [Laboratory of Macromolecular and Organic Chemistry, Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry, and Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Eindhoven University of Technology, P.O. Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven (Netherlands); Bakker, Huib J., E-mail: bakker@amolf.nl [FOM Institute AMOLF, Science Park 104, 1098 XG Amsterdam (Netherlands)

2015-11-28

We demonstrate that the enantiomers of chiral macromolecules at an aqueous interface can be distinguished with monolayer sensitivity using heterodyne-detected vibrational sum-frequency generation (VSFG). We perform VSFG spectroscopy with a polarization combination that selectively probes chiral molecular structures. By using frequencies far detuned from electronic resonances, we probe the chiral macromolecular structures with high surface specificity. The phase of the sum-frequency light generated by the chiral molecules is determined using heterodyne detection. With this approach, we can distinguish right-handed and left-handed helical peptides at a water-air interface. We thus show that heterodyne-detected VSFG is sensitive to the absolute configuration of complex, interfacial macromolecules and has the potential to determine the absolute configuration of enantiomers at interfaces.

Numerical evidence of chiral magnetic effect in lattice gauge theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Buividovich, P. V.; Chernodub, M. N.; Luschevskaya, E. V.; Polikarpov, M. I.

2009-01-01

The chiral magnetic effect is the generation of electric current of quarks along an external magnetic field in the background of topologically nontrivial gluon fields. There is recent evidence that this effect is observed by the STAR Collaboration in heavy-ion collisions at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. In our paper we study qualitative signatures of the chiral magnetic effect using quenched lattice simulations. We find indications that the electric current is indeed enhanced in the direction of the magnetic field both in equilibrium configurations of the quantum gluon fields and in a smooth gluon background with nonzero topological charge. In the confinement phase the magnetic field enhances the local fluctuations of both the electric charge and chiral charge densities. In the deconfinement phase the effects of the magnetic field become smaller, possibly due to thermal screening. Using a simple model of a fireball we obtain a good agreement between our data and experimental results of STAR Collaboration.

Enantioseparation of angiotensin II receptor type 1 blockers: evaluation of 6-substituted carbamoyl benzimidazoles on immobilized polysaccharide-based chiral stationary phases. Unusual temperature behavior.

Science.gov (United States)

Su, Ran; Hou, Zhun; Sang, Lihong; Zhou, Zhi-Ming; Fang, Hao; Yang, Xinying

2017-09-15

Enantioseparation of thirteen 6-substituted carbamoyl benzimidazoles by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was investigated using two immobilized polysaccharide-based chiral stationary phases (CSPs), Chiralpak IC and Chiralpak IA, in normal-phase mode. Most of the examined compounds were completely resolved. The effects of a polar alcohol modifier, analyte structure, and column temperature on the chiral recognition were investigated. Furthermore, the structure-retention relationship was evaluated, and thermodynamic parameters were calculated from plots of ln k' or ln α versus 1/T. The thermodynamic parameters indicated that the separations were enthalpy-driven. Moreover, nonlinear van't Hoff plots were obtained on Chiralpak IA. However, two unusual phenomena were observed: (1) an unusual increase in retention with increasing temperature with linear van't Hoff plots on Chiralpak IC and (2) an extremely high T iso value (i.e., several thousand degrees centigrade). Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Chiral-symmetry order parameter, the lattice, and nucleosynthesis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McLerran, L.

1987-01-01

I discuss an order parameter for the chiral-symmetry restoration phase transition which may be useful in computations of big-bang nucleosynthesis, a phenomenon which requires a finite baryon-number density. This parameter is strictly speaking an order parameter in the large-N limit, and distinguishes between a parity-doubled and a massless-fermion realization of chiral-symmetry restoration. This order parameter may be evaluated at a zero net baryon-number density at finite temperature, and is useful as long as the baryon chemical potential μ is much less than the temperature T

Modeling chiral criticality and its consequences for heavy-ion collisions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Almási, Gábor András, E-mail: g.almasi@gsi.de [Gesellschaft für Schwerionenforschung, GSI, D-64291 Darmstadt (Germany); Friman, Bengt, E-mail: b.friman@gsi.de [Gesellschaft für Schwerionenforschung, GSI, D-64291 Darmstadt (Germany); ExtreMe Matter Institute (EMMI), D-64291 Darmstadt (Germany); Redlich, Krzysztof, E-mail: krzysztof.redlich@ift.uni.wroc.pl [ExtreMe Matter Institute (EMMI), D-64291 Darmstadt (Germany); University of Wrocław - Faculty of Physics and Astronomy, PL-50-204 Wrocław (Poland); Department of Physics, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708 (United States)

2016-12-15

We explore the critical fluctuations near the chiral critical endpoint (CEP) in a chiral effective model and discuss possible signals of the CEP, recently explored experimentally in nuclear collision. Particular attention is paid to the dependence of such signals on the location of the phase boundary and the CEP relative to the chemical freeze-out conditions in nuclear collisions. We argue that in effective models, standard freeze-out fits to heavy-ion data should not be used directly. Instead, the relevant quantities should be examined on lines in the phase diagram that are defined self-consistently, within the framework of the model. We discuss possible choices for such an approach.

Chiral separation and enantioselective degradation of vinclozolin in soils.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Hui; Liu, Donghui; Shen, Zhigang; Sun, Mingjing; Zhou, Zhiqiang; Wang, Peng

2014-03-01

Vinclozolin is a chiral fungicide with potential environmental problems. The chiral separation of the enantiomers and enantioselective degradation in soil were investigated in this work. The enantiomers were separated by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) on Chiralpak IA, IB, and AZ-H chiral columns under normal phase and the influence of the mobile phase composition on the separation was also studied. Complete resolutions were obtained on all three chiral columns under optimized conditions with the same elution order of (+)/(-). The residual analysis of the enantiomers in soil was conducted using accelerate solvent extraction followed by HPLC determination. The recoveries of the enantiomers ranged from 85.7-105.7% with relative standard deviation (SD) of 0.12-3.83%, and the limit of detection (LOD) of the method was 0.013 µg/g. The results showed that the degradations of vinclozolin enantiomers in the soils followed first-order kinetics. Preferential degradation of the (-)-enantiomer was observed only in one soil with the largest |ES| value of 0.047, and no obvious enantioselective degradation was observed in other soils. It was found that the persistence of vinclozolin in soil was related to pH values based on the half-lives. The two enantiomers disappeared about 8 times faster in basic soils than that in neutral or acidic soils. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Distinction of tris(diimine)ruthenium(II) enantiomers chiral by virtue of helical chirality: temperature-dependent deuterium NMR spectroscopy in partially oriented phases.

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Szalontai, Gábor; Kovács, Margit

2006-11-01

2H NMR spectra of perdeuterated tris(diimine)ruthenium(II) complexes have been recorded in lyotropic liquid crystalline phase formed by the chiral polypeptide, poly-gamma-benzyl-L-glutamate (PBLG) and co-solvents. It is demonstrated that the left- and right-rotation isomers of these octahedral metal complexes with D3 symmetry can be distinguished. The effects of temperature and ligand size on spectral resolution were also studied. Although in the case of free bipyridine ligands excellent optical resolution could be obtained at room temperature in the complexes studied, the increase in ligand size has a detrimental effect on the resolution. This can be compensated to some extent by elevating the sample temperature and decreasing the deuterium relaxation rates, but the available temperature range and therefore the applicability of the technique are limited. Copyright 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Topological responses from chiral anomaly in multi-Weyl semimetals

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