Hydrophobic matrix-free graphene-oxide composites with isotropic and nematic states

Science.gov (United States)

Wåhlander, Martin; Nilsson, Fritjof; Carlmark, Anna; Gedde, Ulf W.; Edmondson, Steve; Malmström, Eva

2016-08-01

We demonstrate a novel route to synthesise hydrophobic matrix-free composites of polymer-grafted graphene oxide (GO) showing isotropic or nematic alignment and shape-memory effects. For the first time, a cationic macroinitiator (MI) has been immobilised on anionic GO and subsequently grafted with hydrophobic polymer grafts. Dense grafts of PBA, PBMA and PMMA with a wide range of average graft lengths (MW: 1-440 kDa) were polymerised by surface-initiated controlled radical precipitation polymerisation from the statistical MI. The surface modification is designed similarly to bimodal graft systems, where the cationic MI generates nanoparticle repulsion, similar to dense short grafts, while the long grafts offer miscibility in non-polar environments and cohesion. The state-of-the-art dispersions of grafted GO were in the isotropic state. Transparent and translucent matrix-free GO-composites could be melt-processed directly using only grafted GO. After processing, birefringence due to nematic alignment of grafted GO was observed as a single giant Maltese cross, 3.4 cm across. Permeability models for composites containing aligned 2D-fillers were developed, which were compared with the experimental oxygen permeability data and found to be consistent with isotropic or nematic states. The storage modulus of the matrix-free GO-composites increased with GO content (50% increase at 0.67 wt%), while the significant increases in the thermal stability (up to 130 °C) and the glass transition temperature (up to 17 °C) were dependent on graft length. The tuneable matrix-free GO-composites with rapid thermo-responsive shape-memory effects are promising candidates for a vast range of applications, especially selective membranes and sensors.We demonstrate a novel route to synthesise hydrophobic matrix-free composites of polymer-grafted graphene oxide (GO) showing isotropic or nematic alignment and shape-memory effects. For the first time, a cationic macroinitiator (MI) has been

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.

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.

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.

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)

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.

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.

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.

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

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

The effect of pressure and quadrupolar interactions on the nematic-isotropic transition properties: Numerical results for a system of prolate ellipsoids including second and fourth rank orientational order parameters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Singh, K.

1992-10-01

The theory of isotropic-nematic transition described in earlier papers is applied to investigate the influence of quadrupolar interactions and pressure on the stability, ordering and thermodynamic transition properties retaining second and fourth rank orientational order parameters in the calculation for a system of hard ellipsoids of revolution characterized by its length-to-width ratio (x 0 = 2a/2b). Results are in accordance with experimental observations. (author). 9 refs, 1 tab

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.

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.

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)

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

Highly tilted liquid crystalline materials possessing a direct phase transition from antiferroelectric to isotropic phase

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Milewska, K.; Drzewiński, W. [Institute of Chemistry, Military University of Technology, 00-908 Warsaw (Poland); Czerwiński, M., E-mail: mczerwinski@wat.edu.pl [Institute of Chemistry, Military University of Technology, 00-908 Warsaw (Poland); Dąbrowski, R. [Institute of Chemistry, Military University of Technology, 00-908 Warsaw (Poland); Piecek, W. [Institute of Applied Physics, Military University of Technology, 00-908 Warsaw (Poland)

2016-03-01

Pure compounds and multicomponent mixtures with a broad temperature range of high tilted liquid crystalline antiferroelectric phase and a direct phase transition from antiferroelectric to isotropic phase, were obtained. X-ray diffraction analysis confirms these kinds of materials form a high tilted anticlinic phase, with a fixed layer spacing and very weak dependency upon temperature, after the transition from the isotropic phase. Due to this, not only pure orthoconic antiferroelectric liquid crystals but also those with a moderate tilt should generate a good dark state. Furthermore, due to the increased potential for forming anticlinic forces, such materials could minimize a commonly observed asymmetry of a rise and fall switching times at a surface stabilized geometry. - Highlights: • The new class of liquid crystalline materials with the direct SmC{sub A}*. • Iso phase transition were obtained. • Materials possess the layer spacing fixed and very weak dependent upon temperature. • Smectic layers without shrinkage are observed. • A good dark state can be generate in SSAFLC.

Field-induced optically isotropic state in bent core nematic liquid crystals: unambiguous proof of field-induced optical biaxiality

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Elamain, Omaima; Komitov, Lachezar; Hegde, Gurumurthy; Fodor-Csorba, Katalin

2013-01-01

The behaviour of bent core (BC) nematic liquid crystals was investigated under dc applied electric field. The optically isotropic state of a sample containing BC nematic was observed under application of low dc electric fields. The quality of the dark state when the sample was inserted between two crossed polarizers was found to be superb and it did not change when rotating the sample between the polarizers. The coupling between the net molecular dipole moment and the applied dc electric field was considered as the origin of the out-of-plane switching of the BC molecules resulting in switching from the field-off bright state to the field-on dark state. The field-induced optically isotropic state is an unambiguous proof of the field-induced biaxiality in the BC nematic liquid crystal. A simple model explaining the appearance of the isotropic optical state in BC nematics and the switching of the sample slow axis between three mutually orthogonal directions under dc applied electric field is proposed. (paper)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Surface-induced ordering of a liquid crystal in the isotropic phase

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miyano, K.

1979-01-01

A detailed account of a measurement of order parameter of a liquid crystal at the boundary by means of the wall-induced pretransitional birefringence is given. Several surface treatments were studied including surfactants and evaporated films. Although all treatments produced good alignment in the nematic phase, the boundary order parameter (hence the strength of the aligning force) in the isotropic phase differed very much depending on the treatment, indicating the diverse nature of the alignment process

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.

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.

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.

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)

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.)

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.

Liquid crystalline phase behavior of protein fibers in water: experiments versus theory.

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Jung, Jin-Mi; Mezzenga, Raffaele

2010-01-05

We have developed a new method allowing the study of the thermodynamic phase behavior of mesoscopic colloidal systems consisting of amyloid protein fibers in water, obtained by heat denaturation and aggregation of beta-lactoglobulin, a dairy protein. The fibers have a cross section of about 5.2 nm and two groups of polydisperse contour lengths: (i) long fibers of 1-20 microm, showing semiflexible behavior, and (ii) short rods of 100-200 nm long, obtained by cutting the long fibers via high-pressure homogenization. At pH 2 without salt, these fibers are highly charged and stable in water. We have studied the isotropic-nematic phase transition for both systems and compared our results with the theoretical values predicted by Onsager's theory. The experimentally measured isotropic-nematic phase transition was found to occur at 0.4% and at 3% for the long and short fibers, respectively. For both systems, this phase transition occurs at concentrations more than 1 order of magnitude lower than what is expected based on Onsager's theory. Moreover, at low enough pH, no intermediate biphasic region was observed between the isotropic phase and the nematic phase. The phase diagrams of both systems (pH vs concentration) showed similar, yet complex and rich, phase behavior. We discuss the possible physical fundamentals ruling the phase diagram as well as the discrepancy we observe for the isotropic-nematic phase transition between our experimental results and the predicted theoretical results. Our work highlights that systems formed by water-amyloid protein fibers are way too complex to be understood based solely on Onsager's theories. Experimental results are revisited in terms of the Flory's theory (1956) for suspensions of rods, which allows accounting for rod-solvent hydrophobic interactions. This theoretical approach allows explaining, on a semiquantitative basis, most of the discrepancies observed between the experimental results and Onsager's predictions. The sources of

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

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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.

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.

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.

Phase transition detection by surface photo charge effect in liquid crystals

Science.gov (United States)

Ivanov, O.; Petrov, M.; Naradikian, H.; Perez-Diaz, J. L.

2018-05-01

The surface photo charge effect (SPCE) was applied for the first time at structure and phase transitions study of hydrogen bonded in dimer liquid crystals (HBDLCs). Due to the high sensitivity of this method, besides first-order phase transitions, characteristic for the p,n-octyloxibenzoic acids (8OBA), an order transition was definitely detected within the nematic range. We state that the SPCE, arising at the solid-HBDLCs interface due to the double electrical layer, is invariably concomitant with solid surface-liquid interfaces, and indicates that the changes of the characteristics of this layer, under incident optical irradiation, induce surface charge rearrangement and alternating potential difference. A mechanism of induction of the SPCE at the interface of solid surface-anisotropic liquids is proposed. We also indicate that this mechanism can be adapted for solid surface-isotropic liquid interface, including colloids (milk) and fog (aerosols)-condensed medium.

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.

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.

Effect of Potential Range in Pressure-Temperature Behavior in Isotropic-Nematic Transition of 4-4´-Bis(EthyloxyAzoxybenzene (P-Azoxyphenetole, Pap, 4-Pentyl-4´-Cyanobiphenyl (5cb, P-Methoxybenzydidene-P-N-Butylaniline (Mbba and P–Ethoxybenzylidene–P–N-Butylaniline (Ebba

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

García-Sánchez E.

2011-04-01

Full Text Available In this work we employed the Density Functional Theory (IPCM model to calculate molecular volume and k, and the perturbation theory proposed by García-Sánchez et al. (2002 to predict phase diagram and experimental behavior pressure-temperature for isotropic-nematic transition of 4-4´-bis(ethyloxyazoxybenzene (p-azoxyphenetole, PAP, 4-pentyl-4´-cyanobiphenyl (5CB, p-methoxybenzydidene-p-n-butylaniline (MBBA and p–ethoxybenzylidene–p–n-butylaniline (EBBA at 1 atm. If during the theoretical prediction bigger potential values of potential range of square well (l > k are considered in the theoretical model, it is possible to get better prediction of the experimental behavior. The above mentioned is according with the theoretical formulation of the Second Order Perturbation Theory since Ponce-Renon approximation is included.

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

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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.

Photopyroelectric Calorimetry Investigations of 8CB Liquid Crystal-Microemulsion System

Science.gov (United States)

Paoloni, S.; Zammit, U.; Mercuri, F.

2018-02-01

In this work, the photopyroelectric technique has been used to investigate the phase transitions in a liquid crystal microemulsion by combining the simultaneous high temperature resolution thermal diffusivity measurements and optical polarization microscopy observations. It has been found that, during the conversion from the isotropic phase into the nematic one, the micelles are expelled from the nematic domains and remain confined in islands of isotropic material which survive down to the smectic temperature range. A hysteresis in the thermal diffusivity profiles between heating and cooling run over the isotropic-nematic transition temperature range has been observed which has been ascribed to the different micelles distribution into the sample volume during cooling and heating runs. Finally, the almost bulk-like behavior of the thermal diffusivity over the nematic-smectic phase transition confirms that a significant fraction of the micelles are expelled during the nucleation of the nematic phase.

Phase behaviour of rod-like colloid + flexible polymer mixtures

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lekkerkerker, H.N.W.; Stroobants, A.

The effect of non-adsorbing, flexible polymer on the isotropic-nematic transition in dispersions of rod-like colloids is investigated. A widening of the biphasic gap is observed, in combination with a marked polymer partitioning between the coexisting phases. Under certain conditions, areas of

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Laser-induced microscopic phase-transition on an ionic liquid

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iguchi, Natsuki; Datta, Alokmay; Yoshikawa, Kenichi; Ma Yue

2009-01-01

Nematic-isotropic transition is induced in a 5 μm 'droplet' within an oriented bulk of a mixture of a liquid crystalline material with a room-temperature ionic liquid, by a laser working at 532 nm with an output power of 200 mW and a beam diameter of 1 μm. No microscopic phase transition is observed either in absence of the ionic liquid or at the other wavelength of 1064 nm, available to the Nd-YAG laser. This indicates the essential role on a resonant transfer of energy to the ionic liquid from the laser radiation, which is subsequently transferred to the liquid crystal. Spectroscopy of the pure liquid crystal and ionic liquid samples confirms this concept. Spatio-temporal image of the droplet growth shows, however, that the phase transition remains confined within the microscopic domain for the first 50 s, and then spreads out rapidly. Since resonant, quantum transitions between molecular levels takes place in less than microseconds, the about seven orders of magnitude slowing down of energy transfer observed here suggests unique hierarchical dynamics including the coupling between the intra-molecular motions in the ionic liquid and the inter-molecular forces between ionic liquid and liquid crystal.

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.

Competing Phases of 2D Electrons at ν = 5/2 and 7/3

Science.gov (United States)

Xia, Jing

2011-03-01

The N=1 Landau level (LL) exhibits collective electronic phenomena characteristic of both fractional quantum Hall (FQHE) states seen in the lowest LL and anisotropic nematic states in the higher LLs. A modest in-plane magnetic field B| | is sufficient to destroy the fractional quantized Hall states at ν = 5 / 2 (and 7/2) and replace them with anisotropic compressible nematic phases, revealing the close competition between the two. We find that at larger B| | these anisotropic phases ν = 5 / 2 can themselves be replaced by a new isotropic state, dubbed re-entrant isotropic compressible (RIC) phase. We present strong evidence that this transition is a consequence of the mixing of Landau levels from different electric subbands in the confinement potential. In addition, we find that with B| | , the normally isotropic ν = 7 / 3 FQHE state can transform into an anisotropic phase with an accurately quantized Hall plateau but an anisotropic longitudinal resistivities. As temperature is lowered towards zero, ρxx diminishes while ρyy tends to diverge, reminiscent of the anisotropic nematic states, while surprisingly ρxy and ρyx remain quantized at 3 h / 7e2 , indicating a completely new quantum phase. This work represents a collaboration with J.P. Eisenstein (Caltech) and L.N. Pfeiffer and K.W West (Princeton), and is supported by Microsoft Project Q.

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.

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.

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.

Liquid crystalline states of surfactant solutions of isotropic micelles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bagdassarian, C.; Gelbart, W.M.; Ben-Shaul, A.

1988-01-01

We consider micellar solutions whose surfactant molecules prefer strongly to form small, globular aggregates in the absence of intermicellar interactions. At sufficiently high volume fraction of surfactant, the isotropic phase of essentially spherical micelles is shown to be unstable with respect to an orientationally ordered (nematic) state of rodlike aggregates. This behavior is relevant to the phase diagrams reported for important classes of aqueous amphiphilic solutions

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.

Anisotropic to Isotropic Phase Transitions in the Early Universe

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ajaib M. A.

2012-04-01

Full Text Available We attempt to develop a minimal formalism to describe an anisotropic to isotropic tran- sition in the early Universe. Assuming an underlying theory that violates Lorentz in- variance, we start with a Dirac like equation, involving four massless fields, and which does not exhibit Lorentz invariance. We then perform transformations that restore it to its covariant form along with a mass term for the fermion field. It is proposed that these transformations can be visualized as waves traveling in an anisotropic media. The trans- formation it = ℏ ! is then utilized to transit to a statistical thermodynamics system and the partition function then gives a better insight into the character of this transition. The statistical system hence realized is a two level system with each state doubly degenerate. We propose that modeling the transition this way can help explain the matter antimatter asymmetry of the Universe.

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.

Kinetics and mechanism of transitions involving the lamellar, cubic, inverted hexagonal, and fluid isotropic phases of hydrated monoacylglycerides monitored by time-resolved X-ray diffraction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Caffrey, M.

1987-01-01

A study of the dynamics and mechanism of the various thermotropic phase transitions undergone by the hydrated monoacylglycerides monoolein and monoelaidin, in the temperature range of 20-120 0 C and from 0 to 5 M NaCl, has been undertaken. Measurements were made by using time-resolved X-ray diffraction at the Cornell High-Energy Synchrotron Source. The lamellar chain order/disorder, lamellar/cubic (body centered, space group No.8), cubic (body centered, No.8)/cubic (primitive No.4), cubic (body centered, No.12)/cubic (primitive, No.4), cubic (primitive, No.4)/fluid isotropic, cubic (body centered, No.12)/inverted hexagonal, cubic (primitive, No.4)/inverted hexagonal, and hexagonal/fluid isotropic transitions were examined under active heating and passive cooling by using a jump in temperature to effect phase transformation. All of the transitions with the exception of the cubic (body centered, No.8)/cubic (primitive, No.4) and the cubic (body centered, No.12)/cubic (primitive, No.4) cooling transitions were found (1) to be repeatable, (2) to be reversible, and (3) to have an upper bound on the transit time (time required to complete the transition) of ≤ 3s. In addition to the time-resolved measurements, data were obtained on the stability of the various phases in the temperature range of 20-120 0 C and from 0 to 5 M NaCl. In the case of fully hydrated monoolein, high salt strongly favors the hexagonal over the cubic (body centered, No.8) phase and slightly elevates the hexagonal/fluid isotropic transition temperature. With fully hydrated monoelaidin, the hexagonal phase which is not observed in the absence of salt becomes the dominant phase at high salt concentration

Demixing and nematic behaviour of oblate hard spherocylinders and hard spheres mixtures: Monte Carlo simulation and Parsons-Lee theory

Science.gov (United States)

Gámez, Francisco; Acemel, Rafael D.; Cuetos, Alejandro

2013-10-01

Parsons-Lee approach is formulated for the isotropic-nematic transition in a binary mixture of oblate hard spherocylinders and hard spheres. Results for the phase coexistence and for the equation of state in both phases for fluids with different relative size and composition ranges are presented. The predicted behaviour is in agreement with Monte Carlo simulations in a qualitative fashion. The study serves to provide a rational view of how to control key aspects of the behaviour of these binary nematogenic colloidal systems. This behaviour can be tuned with an appropriate choice of the relative size and molar fractions of the depleting particles. In general, the mixture of discotic and spherical particles is stable against demixing up to very high packing fractions. We explore in detail the narrow geometrical range where demixing is predicted to be possible in the isotropic phase. The influence of molecular crowding effects on the stability of the mixture when spherical molecules are added to a system of discotic colloids is also studied.

Steady-state and time-resolved spectroscopic investigations on intramolecular electron transfer processes within a synthesized methoxynaphthalene dyad by using a nematic liquid crystal medium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bardhan, Munmun; Mandal, Paulami; De, Asish; Kumar De, Avijit; Chowdhury, Joydeep; Ganguly, Tapan

2010-01-01

UV-vis, steady state and time-resolved spectroscopic investigations were made on photoinduced charge separation and thermal charge recombination processes involved within a novel synthesized dyad, 1-(4-chloro-phenyl)-3-(4-methoxy-naphthalen-1-yl)-propenone (MNCA) where the donor 1-methoxynaphthalene (MNT) and the acceptor p-choloroacetophenone (PCA) moieties are connected by a short unsaturated olefinic bond. The measurements were made within the pseudo-ordered domain (just above nematic-isotropic (N-I) phase transition temperature, >308 K) of a nematic liquid crystal, 4-(n-pentyl)-4'-cyanobiphenyl (5CB). Results observed are compared with those obtained from the similar measurements in isotropic media. The charge separation and recombination rates remain more-or-less unchanged within the experimental error irrespective of the polarity of the environment, whether in pseudo-ordered domain (ε S ∼10.5) of a nematic liquid crystal 5CB or in highly polar isotropic medium ACN (ε S ∼37.5). The structural rigidity of the dyad MNCA having stable elongated form both in the ground as well as in the photoexcited states seems to be the reason for this unique behavior of solvent insensitivity. The theoretical predictions done by ab initio method density functional theory (DFT) with B3LYP/6-311 G (d, p) basis function correlate well with experimental observations of formations of only one stable elongated (E-type) conformer both in the ground and electronic excited state.

Steady-state and time-resolved spectroscopic investigations on intramolecular electron transfer processes within a synthesized methoxynaphthalene dyad by using a nematic liquid crystal medium

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bardhan, Munmun; Mandal, Paulami; De, Asish; Kumar De, Avijit [Department of Spectroscopy, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, Jadavpur, Kolkata 700032, West Bengal (India); Chowdhury, Joydeep [Sammilani Mahavidyalaya Baghajatin Station, West Bengal (India); Ganguly, Tapan, E-mail: sptg@mahendra.iacs.res.i [Department of Spectroscopy, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, Jadavpur, Kolkata 700032, West Bengal (India)

2010-06-15

UV-vis, steady state and time-resolved spectroscopic investigations were made on photoinduced charge separation and thermal charge recombination processes involved within a novel synthesized dyad, 1-(4-chloro-phenyl)-3-(4-methoxy-naphthalen-1-yl)-propenone (MNCA) where the donor 1-methoxynaphthalene (MNT) and the acceptor p-choloroacetophenone (PCA) moieties are connected by a short unsaturated olefinic bond. The measurements were made within the pseudo-ordered domain (just above nematic-isotropic (N-I) phase transition temperature, >308 K) of a nematic liquid crystal, 4-(n-pentyl)-4'-cyanobiphenyl (5CB). Results observed are compared with those obtained from the similar measurements in isotropic media. The charge separation and recombination rates remain more-or-less unchanged within the experimental error irrespective of the polarity of the environment, whether in pseudo-ordered domain (epsilon{sub S}approx10.5) of a nematic liquid crystal 5CB or in highly polar isotropic medium ACN (epsilon{sub S}approx37.5). The structural rigidity of the dyad MNCA having stable elongated form both in the ground as well as in the photoexcited states seems to be the reason for this unique behavior of solvent insensitivity. The theoretical predictions done by ab initio method density functional theory (DFT) with B3LYP/6-311 G (d, p) basis function correlate well with experimental observations of formations of only one stable elongated (E-type) conformer both in the ground and electronic excited state.

Quasi-elastic neutron scattering study of a re-entrant side-chain liquid-crystal polyacrylate

Science.gov (United States)

Benguigui, L.; Noirez, L.; Kahn, R.; Keller, P.; Lambert, M.; Cohen de Lara, E.

1991-04-01

We present a first investigation of the dynamics of a side chain liquid crystal polyacrylate in the isotropic (I), nematic (N), smectic A (SA), and re-entrant nematic (NRe) phases by means of quasi-elastic neutron scattering. The motion or/and the mobility of the mesogen protons decreases as soon as the temperature decreases after the isotropic-nematic transition. The I-N and SA-NRe transitions corrspond to a jump in the curve of the Elastic Incoherent Structure Factor (ratio: elastic scattering/ total scattering) versus temperature, on the other hand the transition N-SA occurs without any change of slope. We conclude that the local order is very similar in the nematic and the smectic A phases. Nous présentons une première étude dynamique par diffusion quasi-élastique des neutrons, d'un échantillon de polyacrylate mésomorphe en peigne dans chacune des phases : isotrope, nématique, smectique et nématique rentrante. On montre que le mouvement et/ou la mobilité des protons du mésogène se restreint à mesure que la température diminue après la transition isotrope-nématique. Contrairement à la transition N-SA, les transitions I-N et SA-NRe correspondent à une discontinuité dans la courbe du Facteur de Structure Incohérent Elastique (rapport : intensité élastique/intensité totale) en fonction de la température ; l'ordre local semble donc très proche pour les phases nématique et smectique.

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.

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.

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 .

Dynamics of the Gay-Berne fluid

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

de Miguel, E.; Rull, L.F.; Gubbins, K.E.

1992-01-01

Using molecular-dynamics computer simulation, we study the dynamical behavior of the isotropic and nematic phases of highly anisotropic molecular fluids. The interactions are modeled by means of the Gay-Berne potential with anisotropy parameters κ=3 and κ'=5. The linear-velocity autocorrelation function shows no evidence of a negative region in the isotropic phase, even at the higher densities considered. The self-diffusion coefficient parallel to the molecular axis shows an anomalous increase with density as the system enters the nematic region. This enhancement in parallel diffusion is also observed in the isotropic side of the transition as a precursor effect. The molecular reorientation is discussed in the light of different theoretical models. The Debye diffusion model appears to explain the reorientational mechanism in the nematic phase. None of the models gives a satisfactory account of the reorientation process in the isotropic phase

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

Perturbation theory for nematic liquid crystals of axially symmetric molecules: Evaluation of fourth rank orientational order parameter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Singh, K.

1993-11-01

Using a statistical mechanical perturbation theory for isotropic-nematic transition we report a calculation of second and fourth rank orientation order parameters and thermodynamic properties for a model system of prolate ellipsoids of revolution parameterized by its length-to-width ratio. The influence of attractive potential represented by dispersion interaction on a variety of thermodynamic properties is analysed. Inclusion of fourth rank orientational order parameter in calculation slightly changes the transition parameter. (author). 7 refs, 1 tab

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

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.

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.

Preparation and thermo-optical characteristics of a smart polymer-stabilized liquid crystal thin film based on smectic A–chiral nematic phase transition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sun, Jian; Wang, Huihui; Cao, Hui; Ding, Hangjun; Yang, Zhou; Yang, Huai; Wang, Ling; Xie, Hui; Luo, Xueyao; Xiao, Jiumei

2014-01-01

A smart polymer stabilized liquid crystal (PSLC) thin film with temperature-controllable light transmittance was prepared based on a smectic-A (SmA)–chiral nematic (N*) phase transition, and then the effect of the composition and the preparation condition of the PSLC film on its thermo-optical (T-O) characteristics has been investigated in detail. Within the temperature range of the SmA phase, the PSLC shows a strong opaque state due to the focal conic alignment of liquid crystal (LC) molecules, while the film exhibits a transparent state result from the parallel alignment of N* phase LC molecules at a higher temperature. Importantly, the PSLC films with different temperature of phase transition and contrast ratio can be prepared by changing the composition of photo-polymerizable monomer/LC/chiral dopant. According to the competition between the polymerization of the curable monomers and the diffusion of LC molecules, the ultraviolet (UV) curing surrounding temperature and the intensity of UV irradiation play a critical role in tuning the size of the polymer network meshes, which in turn influence the contrast ratio and the switching speed of the film. Our observations are expected to pave the way for preparing smart PSLC thin films for applications in areas of smart windows, thermo-detectors and other information recording devices. (paper)

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.

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.

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.

Nature of the Blue-Phase-III endash isotropic critical point: An analogy with the liquid-gas transition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anisimov, M.A.; Agayan, V.A.; Collings, P.J.

1998-01-01

The analogy with the liquid-gas critical point is analyzed to clarify the nature of the pretransitional behavior of physical properties in the vicinity of the Blue-Phase-III endash isotropic transition in chiral liquid crystalline systems. The analogy is unusual: temperature serves as the ordering field and entropy plays the role of the order parameter. Both mean field and parametric equations of state are formulated in terms of scaling fields. The scaling fields are linear combinations of the physical fields, which are temperature and chirality. It is shown that mixing of the physical field variables naturally leads to a strong asymmetry with respect to the transition temperature in the behavior of the physical properties that cannot be described by simple power laws. While the mean field theory gives a good description of the experimental data, the scaling theory, if one incorporates mixing of the field variables, gives even better agreement with the experimental data, placing this transition in the same universality class as the three-dimensional Ising model. copyright 1998 The American Physical Society

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.

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.

DSC and X-ray diffraction investigations of phase transitions in HxBABA and NBABA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Usha Deniz, K.; Paranjpe, A.S.; Mirza, E.B.; Parvathanathan, P.S.; Patel, K.S.

1979-01-01

The phase transitions and the heats of transformation, of the hexyl (HxBABA) and nonyl (NBABA) members of the series of compounds, p-n-Alkoxybenzylidene-p-Aminobenzoic Acids, have been studied by DSC in the temperature range, - 100 0 C to 300 0 C. A scheme of transitions has been proposed for each of the compounds. X-ray diffraction measurements have been done in the smectic C(Ssub(c)) and nematic (N) phases of these materials. The results reveal that (1) the Ssub(c) phase in both compounds is of the C 1 -type, (2) Ssub(c)-type order is seen throughout the nematic phase in HxBABA, whereas in NBABA, it is seen only in the neighbourhood of the Ssub(c)-N transition, (3) the temperature dependence of the smectic layer thickness, d, and of the directly measured tilt angle, theta sub(t,d), reflect faithfully the strength of the first order transition, Ssub(c)-N, and (4) there is a marked difference between the values and the temperature variations of theta sub(t,d) and theta sub(t,c) (tilt angle calculated from d) which is not completely understood, at present

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.

Entanglements in Conjugated Polymers

Science.gov (United States)

Xie, Renxuan; Lee, Youngmin; Aplan, Melissa; Caggiano, Nick; Gomez, Enrique; Colby, Ralph

Conjugated polymers, such as poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) (P3HT) and poly-((9,9-dioctylfluorene)-2,7-diyl-alt-[4,7-bis(thiophen-5-yl)-2,1,3-benzothiadiazole]-2',2''-diyl) (PFTBT), are widely used as hole and electron transport materials in a variety of electronic devices. However, fundamental knowledge regarding chain entanglements and nematic-to-isotropic transition is still lacking and are crucial to maximize charge transport properties. A systematic melt rheology study on P3HT with various molecular weights and regio regularities was performed. We find that the entanglement molecular weight Me is 5.0 kg/mol for regiorandom P3HT, but the apparent Me for regioregular P3HT is significantly higher. The difference is postulated to arise from the presence of a nematic phase only in regioregular P3HT. Analogously, PFTBT shows a clear rheological signature of the nematic-to-isotropic transition as a reversible sharp transition at 278 C. Shearing of this nematic phase leads to anisotropic crystalline order in PFTBT. We postulate that aligning the microstructure will impact charge transport and thereby advance the field of conducting polymers. National Science Foundation.

Self-regulation in self-propelled nematic fluids.

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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.

Nematicity, magnetism and superconductivity in FeSe.

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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.

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)

Study of the chain conformation of thermotropic nematic main chain polyesters

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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

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

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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.

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

Brownian dynamics and dynamic Monte Carlo simulations of isotropic and liquid crystal phases of anisotropic colloidal particles: a comparative study.

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Patti, Alessandro; Cuetos, Alejandro

2012-07-01

We report on the diffusion of purely repulsive and freely rotating colloidal rods in the isotropic, nematic, and smectic liquid crystal phases to probe the agreement between Brownian and Monte Carlo dynamics under the most general conditions. By properly rescaling the Monte Carlo time step, being related to any elementary move via the corresponding self-diffusion coefficient, with the acceptance rate of simultaneous trial displacements and rotations, we demonstrate the existence of a unique Monte Carlo time scale that allows for a direct comparison between Monte Carlo and Brownian dynamics simulations. To estimate the validity of our theoretical approach, we compare the mean square displacement of rods, their orientational autocorrelation function, and the self-intermediate scattering function, as obtained from Brownian dynamics and Monte Carlo simulations. The agreement between the results of these two approaches, even under the condition of heterogeneous dynamics generally observed in liquid crystalline phases, is excellent.

Liquid Crystal Mediated Nano-assembled Gold Micro-shells

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Quint, Makiko; Sarang, Som; Quint, David; Huang, Kerwyn; Gopinathan, Ajay; Hirst, Linda; Ghosh, Sayantani

We have created 3D nano-assenbled micro-shell by using thermotropic liquid crystal (LC), 4-Cyano-4'-pentylbiphenyl (5CB), doped with mesogen-functionalized gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). The assembly process is driven by the isotropic-nematic phase transition dynamics. We uniformly disperse the functionalized AuNPs into isotropic liquid crystal matrix and the mixture is cooled from the isotropic to the nematic phase. During the phase transition, the separation of LC-AuNP rich isotropic and ordered 5CB rich domains cause the functionalized AuNPs to move into the shrinking isotropic regions. The mesogenic ligands are locally crystalized during this process, which leads to the formation of a spherical shell with a densely packed wall of AuNPs. These micro-shells are capable of encapsulating fluorescence dye without visible leakages for several months. Additionally, they demonstrate strong localized surface plasmon resonance, which leads to localized heating on optical excitation. This photothermal effect disrupts the structure, releasing contents within seconds. Our results exhibiting the capture and optically regulated release of encapsulated substances is a novel platform that combines drug-delivery and photothermal therapy in one versatile and multifunctional unit. This work is supported by the NSF Grants No. DMR-1056860, ECC-1227034, and a University of California Merced Faculty Mentor Fellowship.

Nematic Liquid Crystals: From Maier-Saupe to a Continuum Theory

KAUST Repository

Ball, John M.

2010-07-20

We define a continuum energy functional that effectively interpolates between the mean-field Maier-Saupe energy and the continuum Landau-de Gennes energy functional and can describe both spatially homogeneous and inhomogeneous systems. In the mean-field approach the main macroscopic variable, the Q-tensor order parameter, is defined in terms of the second moment of a probability distribution function. This definition imposes certain constraints on the eigenvalues of the Q-tensor order parameter, which may be interpreted as physical constraints. We define a thermotropic bulk potential which blows up whenever the eigenvalues of the Q-tensor order parameter approach physically unrealistic values. As a consequence, the minimizers of this continuum energy functional have physically realistic order parameters in all temperature regimes. We study the asymptotics of this bulk potential and show that this model also predicts a first-order nematic-isotropic phase transition, whilst respecting the physical constraints. In contrast, in the Landau-de Gennes framework the Q-tensor order parameter is often defined independently of the probability distribution function, and the theory makes physically unrealistic predictions about the equilibrium order parameters in the low-temperature regime. Copyright © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

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.

The end point of the first-order phase transition of the SU(2) gauge-Higgs model on a four-dimensional isotropic lattice

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aoki, Y.; Csikor, F.; Fodor, Z.; Ukawa, A.

1999-01-01

We report results of a study of the end point of the electroweak phase transition of the SU(2) gauge-Higgs model defined on a four-dimensional isotropic lattice with N t = 2. Finite-size scaling study of Lee-Yang zeros yields λ c = 0.00116(16) for the end point. Combined with a zero-temperature measurement of Higgs and W boson masses, this leads to M H,c = 68.2 ± 6.6 GeV for the critical Higgs boson mass. An independent analysis of Binder cumulant gives a consistent value λ c = 0.00102(3) for the end point

Effects of thermo-order-mechanical coupling on band structures in liquid crystal nematic elastomer porous phononic crystals.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Shuai; Liu, Ying

2018-08-01

Liquid crystal nematic elastomers are one kind of smart anisotropic and viscoelastic solids simultaneously combing the properties of rubber and liquid crystals, which is thermal sensitivity. In this paper, the wave dispersion in a liquid crystal nematic elastomer porous phononic crystal subjected to an external thermal stimulus is theoretically investigated. Firstly, an energy function is proposed to determine thermo-induced deformation in NE periodic structures. Based on this function, thermo-induced band variation in liquid crystal nematic elastomer porous phononic crystals is investigated in detail. The results show that when liquid crystal elastomer changes from nematic state to isotropic state due to the variation of the temperature, the absolute band gaps at different bands are opened or closed. There exists a threshold temperature above which the absolute band gaps are opened or closed. Larger porosity benefits the opening of the absolute band gaps. The deviation of director from the structural symmetry axis is advantageous for the absolute band gap opening in nematic state whist constrains the absolute band gap opening in isotropic state. The combination effect of temperature and director orientation provides an added degree of freedom in the intelligent tuning of the absolute band gaps in phononic crystals. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

First order phase transition of a long polymer chain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aristoff, David; Radin, Charles

2011-01-01

We consider a model consisting of a self-avoiding polygon occupying a variable density of the sites of a square lattice. A fixed energy is associated with each 90 0 bend of the polygon. We use a grand canonical ensemble, introducing parameters μ and β to control average density and average (total) energy of the polygon, and show by Monte Carlo simulation that the model has a first order, nematic phase transition across a curve in the β-μ plane.

Determination of phase transitions in a lyotropic liquid crystal by Positron Annihilation technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Castillo V, V.M.

1994-01-01

Positron annihilation technique was used to determine the phase transitions in a lyotropic liquid crystal, as a function of temperature. Seven different concentrations of the surfactant cetyldimethylethylammonium bromide, were studied. The liquid crystal studied consisted of a binary system, formed by the surfactant and water. Positron annihilation technique has a very high sensitivity toward changes in the microestructure, in condensed matter, this is useful in order to detect the temperatures at which phase transitions occur and the number of these, in a liquid crystalline system. Thus, phase transitions are related with changes occurred in the ortho-positronium parameters: lifetime (τ 3 ) and intensity of formation (I 3 ). Six different kinds of phases were detected in the system studied in a temperature range of 35 to 140 Centigrade degrees, those phases were: hexagonal, hexagonal-lamellae, lamellae, lamellae-cubic, nematic and anisotropic. Using optical microscopic the textures of these phases were assigned. (Author)

Self assembled linear polymeric chains with tuneable semiflexibility using isotropic interactions

Science.gov (United States)

Abraham, Alex; Chatterji, Apratim

2018-04-01

We propose a two-body spherically symmetric (isotropic) potential such that particles interacting by the potential self-assemble into linear semiflexible polymeric chains without branching. By suitable control of the potential parameters, we can control the persistence length of the polymer and can even introduce a controlled number of branches. Thus we show how to achieve effective directional interactions starting from spherically symmetric potentials. The self-assembled polymers have an exponential distribution of chain lengths akin to what is observed for worm-like micellar systems. On increasing particle density, the polymeric chains self-organize to an ordered line-hexagonal phase where every chain is surrounded by six parallel chains, the transition is first order. On further increase in monomer density, the order is destroyed and we get a branched gel-like phase. This potential can be used to model semi-flexible equilibrium polymers with tunable semiflexibility and excluded volume. The use of the potential is computationally cheap and hence can be used to simulate and probe equilibrium polymer dynamics with long chains. The potential also gives a plausible method of tuning colloidal interactions in experiments such that one can obtain self-assembling polymeric chains made up of colloids and probe polymer dynamics using an optical microscope. Furthermore, we show how a modified potential leads to the observation of an intermediate nematic phase of self-assembled chains in between the low density disordered phase and the line-ordered hexagonal phase.

The finite-size effect in thin liquid crystal systems

Science.gov (United States)

Śliwa, I.

2018-05-01

Effects of surface ordering in liquid crystal systems confined between cell plates are of great theoretical and experimental interest. Liquid crystals introduced in thin cells are known to be strongly stabilized and ordered by cell plates. We introduce a new theoretical method for analyzing the effect of surfaces on local molecular ordering in thin liquid crystal systems with planar geometry of the smectic layers. Our results show that, due to the interplay between pair long-range intermolecular forces and nonlocal, relatively short-range, surface interactions, both orientational and translational orders of liquid crystal molecules across confining cells are very complex. In particular, it is demonstrated that the SmA, nematic, and isotropic phases can coexist. The phase transitions from SmA to nematic, as well as from nematic to isotropic phases, occur not simultaneously in the whole volume of the system but begin to appear locally in some regions of the LC sample. Phase transition temperatures are demonstrated to be strongly affected by the thickness of the LC system. The dependence of the corresponding shifts of phase transition temperatures on the layer number is shown to exhibit a power law character. This new type of scaling behavior is concerned with the coexistence of local phases in finite systems. The influence of a specific character of interactions of molecules with surfaces and other molecules on values of the resulting critical exponents is also analyzed.

Phase transitions and spin excitations of spin-1 bosons in optical lattice

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Zhu, Min-Jie; Zhao, Bo

2018-03-01

For spin-1 bosonic system trapped in optical lattice, we investigate two main problems, including MI-SF phase transition and magnetic phase separations in MI phase, with extended standard basis operator (SBO) method. For both ferromagnetic (U2 0) systems, we analytically figure out the symmetry properties in Mott-insulator and superfluid phases, which would provide a deeper insight into the MI-SF phase transition process. Then by applying self-consistent approach to the method, we include the effect of quantum and thermal fluctuations and derive the MI-SF transition phase diagram, which is in quantitative agreement with recent Monte-Carlo simulation at zero temperature, and at finite temperature, we find the underestimation of finite-temperature-effect in the mean-field approximation method. If we further consider the spin excitations in the insulating states of spin-1 system in external field, distinct spin phases are expected. Therefore, in the Mott lobes with n = 1 and n = 2 atoms per site, we give analytical and numerical boundaries of the singlet, nematic, partially magnetic and ferromagnetic phases in the magnetic phase diagrams.

Liquid crystal droplet formation and anchoring dynamics in a microfluidic device

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Steinhaus, Ben; Shen, Amy; Feng, James; Link, Darren

2004-11-01

Liquid crystal drops dispersed in a continuous phase of silicon oil are generated with a narrow distribution in droplet size in microfluidic devices both above and below the nematic to isotropic transition temperature. For these two cases, we observe not only the different LC droplet generation and coalescence dynamics, but also distinct droplet morphology. Our experiments show that the nematic liquid crystalline order is important for the LC droplet formation and anchoring dynamics.

Photoinduced critical opalescence and reversible all-optical switching in photosensitive liquid crystals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tabiryan, Nelson V.; Serak, Svetlana V.; Grozhik, Vladimir A.

2003-01-01

We present the results of a study of the critical opalescence that is observed as a result of reversible trans-cis photoisomerization in the vicinity of photoinduced isothermal phase transitions in azobenzene liquid crystals (azo LCs). The opalescence is caused by the generation of randomly oriented microdomains and microdroplets of isotropic phase in the illuminated area of the azo LC. Transformations between the strongly light-scattering nematic phase and the transparent isotropic phase of the azo LC are induced all-optically by combination of green (λ=532 nm) and violet (λ=409 nm) laser beams

Photoinduced critical opalescence and reversible all-optical switching in photosensitive liquid crystals

Science.gov (United States)

Tabiryan, Nelson V.; Serak, Svetlana V.; Grozhik, Vladimir A.

2003-03-01

We present the results of a study of the critical opalescence that is observed as a result of reversible trans-cis photoisomerization in the vicinity of photoinduced isothermal phase transitions in azobenzene liquid crystals (azo LCs). The opalescence is caused by the generation of randomly oriented microdomains and microdroplets of isotropic phase in the illuminated area of the azo LC. Transformations between the strongly light-scattering nematic phase and the transparent isotropic phase of the azo LC are induced all-optically by combination of green (λ=532 nm) and violet (λ=409 nm) laser beams.

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.

Molecular dynamics simulations of Gay-Berne nematic liquid crystal: Elastic properties from direct correlation functions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stelzer, J.; Trebin, H.R.; Longa, L.

1994-08-01

We report NVT and NPT molecular dynamics simulations of a Gay-Berne nematic liquid crystal using generalization of recently proposed algorithm by Toxvaerd [Phys. Rev. E47, 343, 1993]. On the basis of these simulations the Oseen-Zoher-Frank elastic constants K 11 , K 22 and K 33 as well as the surface constants K 13 and K 24 have been calculated within the framework of the direct correlation function approach of Lipkin et al. [J. Chem. Phys. 82, 472 (1985)]. The angular coefficients of the direct pair correlation function, which enter the final formulas, have been determined from the computer simulation data for the pair correlation function of the nematic by combining the Ornstein-Zernike relation and the Wienier-Hopf factorization scheme. The unoriented nematic approximation has been assumed when constructing the reference, isotropic state of Lipkin et al. By an extensive study of the model over a wide range of temperatures, densities and pressures a very detailed information has been provided about elastic behaviour of the Gay-Berne nematic. Interestingly, it is found that the results for the surface elastic constants are qualitatively different than those obtained with the help of analytical approximations for the isotropic, direct pair correlation function. For example, the values of the surface elastic constants are negative and an order of magnitude smaller than the bulk elasticity. (author). 30 refs, 9 figs

A novel model for smectic liquid crystals: Elastic anisotropy and response to a steady-state flow.

Science.gov (United States)

Püschel-Schlotthauer, Sergej; Meiwes Turrión, Victor; Stieger, Tillmann; Grotjahn, Robin; Hall, Carol K; Mazza, Marco G; Schoen, Martin

2016-10-28

By means of a combination of equilibrium Monte Carlo and molecular dynamics simulations and nonequilibrium molecular dynamics we investigate the ordered, uniaxial phases (i.e., nematic and smectic A) of a model liquid crystal. We characterize equilibrium behavior through their diffusive behavior and elastic properties. As one approaches the equilibrium isotropic-nematic phase transition, diffusion becomes anisotropic in that self-diffusion D ⊥ in the direction orthogonal to a molecule's long axis is more hindered than self-diffusion D ∥ in the direction parallel to that axis. Close to nematic-smectic A phase transition the opposite is true, D ∥ flow depending on whether the convective velocity is parallel or orthogonal to the plane of smectic layers. We find that in Poiseuille-like flow the viscosity of the smectic A phase is higher than in plug flow. This can be rationalized via the velocity-field component in the direction of the flow. In a sufficiently strong flow these smectic layers are not destroyed but significantly bent.

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

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.

Calculating the dielectric anisotropy of nematic liquid crystals: a reinvestigation of the Maier–Meier theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ran, Zhang; Jun, He; Zeng-Hui, Peng; Li, Xuan

2009-01-01

This paper investigates the average dielectric permittivity (ε-bar ) in the Maier–Meier theory for calculating the dielectric anisotropy (Δε) of nematic liquid crystals. For the reason that ε-bar of nematics has the same expression as the dielectric permittivity of the isotropic state, the Onsager equation for isotropic dielectric was used to calculate it. The computed ε-bar shows reasonable agreement with the results of the numerical methods used in the literature. Molecular parameters, such as the polarizability and its anisotropy, the dipole moment and its angle with the molecular long axis, were taken from semi-empirical quantum chemistry (MOCPAC/AM1) modeling. The calculated values of Δε according to the Maier–Meier equation are in good agreement with the experimental results for the investigated compounds having different core structures and polar substituents. (condensed matter: structure, thermal and mechanical properties)

Phase diagram of tetradecyltrimethylammonium bromide (TTAB) + water + octanol system with application of mechanical deformation

Science.gov (United States)

Yavuz, Aykut Evren; Masalci, Özgür; Kazanci, Nadide

2014-11-01

Morphological properties of tetradecyltrimethylammonium bromide (TTAB) + water + octanol system in different concentrations have been studied. In the process, isotropic phase (L1) and nematic calamitic (NC), nematic discotic (ND), hexagonal E and lamellar D anizotropic mesophases have been determined by polarizing microscopy method and partial ternary phase diagram of the system set up. Textural properties of the anisotropic mesophases of the system have been discussed and their birefringence values measured. Mechanical deformation has been applied to the mesophases. The textural properties and the birefringence values have been observed to be changed by the deformation, after and before which changes have been compared.

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.

Sudden Relaminarization and Lifetimes in Forced Isotropic Turbulence.

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Linkmann, Moritz F; Morozov, Alexander

2015-09-25

We demonstrate an unexpected connection between isotropic turbulence and wall-bounded shear flows. We perform direct numerical simulations of isotropic turbulence forced at large scales at moderate Reynolds numbers and observe sudden transitions from a chaotic dynamics to a spatially simple flow, analogous to the laminar state in wall bounded shear flows. We find that the survival probabilities of turbulence are exponential and the typical lifetimes increase superexponentially with the Reynolds number. Our results suggest that both isotropic turbulence and wall-bounded shear flows qualitatively share the same phase-space dynamics.

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.

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.

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.

Molecular mobility of nematic E7 confined to molecular sieves with a low filling degree.

Science.gov (United States)

Brás, A R; Frunza, S; Guerreiro, L; Fonseca, I M; Corma, A; Frunza, L; Dionísio, M; Schönhals, A

2010-06-14

The nematic liquid crystalline mixture E7 was confined with similar filling degrees to molecular sieves with constant composition but different pore diameters (from 2.8 to 6.8 nm). Fourier transform infrared analysis proved that the E7 molecules interact via the cyanogroup with the pore walls of the molecular sieves. The molecular dynamics of the system was investigated by broadband dielectric spectroscopy (10(-2)-10(9) Hz) covering a wide temperature range of approximately 200 K from temperatures well above the isotropic-nematic transition down to the glass transition of bulk E7. A variety of relaxation processes is observed including two modes that are located close to the bulk behavior in its temperature dependence. For all confined samples, two relaxation processes, at frequencies lower than the processes observed for the bulk, were detected. At lower temperatures, their relaxation rates have different temperature dependencies whereas at higher temperatures, they seem to collapse into one chart. The temperature dependence of the slowest process (S-process) obeys the Vogel-Fulcher-Tammann law indicating a glassy dynamics of the E7 molecules anchored to the pore surface. The pore size dependence of both the Vogel temperature and fragility revealed a steplike transition around 4 nm pore size, which indicates a transition from a strong to a fragile behavior. The process with a relaxation rate in between the bulklike and the S-process (I-process) shows no dependence on the pore size. The agreement of the I-process with the behavior of a 5CB surface layer adsorbed on nonporous silica leads to the assignment of E7 molecules anchored at the outer surface of the microcrystals of the molecular sieves.

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

Stress-induced birefringence in the isotropic phases of lyotropic mixtures

Science.gov (United States)

Fernandes, P. R. G.; Maki, J. N.; Gonçalves, L. B.; de Oliveira, B. F.; Mukai, H.

2018-02-01

In this work, the frequency dependence of the known mechano-optical effect which occurs in the micellar isotropic phases (I ) of mixtures of potassium laurate (KL), decanol (DeOH), and water is investigated in the range from 200 mHz to 200 Hz . In order to fit the experimental data, a model of superimposed damped harmonic oscillators is proposed. In this phenomenological approach, the micelles (microscopic oscillators) interact very weakly with their neighbors. Due to shape anisotropy of the basic structures, each oscillator i (i =1 ,2 ,3 ,...,N ) remains in its natural oscillatory rotational movement around its axes of symmetry with a frequency ω0 i. The system will be in the resonance state when the frequency of the driving force ω reaches a value near ω0 i. This phenomenological approach shows excellent agreement with the experimental data. One can find f ˜2.5 , 9.0, and 4.0 Hz as fundamental frequencies of the micellar isotropic phases I , I1, and I2, respectively. The different micellar isotropic phases I , I1, and I2 that we find in the phase diagram of the KL-DeOH-water mixture are a consequence of possible differences in the intermicellar correlation lengths. This work reinforces the possibilities of technological applications of these phases in devices such as mechanical vibration sensors.

A Cost-Effective Optical Device for the Characterization of Liquid Crystals

Science.gov (United States)

Millier, Brian; Aleman Milán, Gianna

2014-01-01

The design and construction of an apparatus to measure the optical birefringence of a liquid crystal is described. The instrument also includes temperature control and monitoring circuitry to allow for the measurement of the nematic-to-isotropic phase transition temperature. An important feature of this design is that the students are able to…

Self consistently calibrated photopyroelectric calorimeter for the high resolution simultaneous absolute measurement of the specific heat and of the thermal conductivity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

U. Zammit

2012-03-01

Full Text Available High temperature resolution study of the specific heat and of the thermal conductivity over the smecticA-nematic and nematic-isotropic phase transitions in octylcynobephenyl liquid crystal using a new photopyroelectric calorimetry configuration are reported, where, unlike previously adopted ones, no calibration is required other than the procedure used during the actual measurement. This makes photopyroelectric calorimetry suitable for “absolute” measurements of the thermal parameters like most other existing conventional calorimetric techniques where, however, the thermal conductivity cannot be measured.

The microwave heating mechanism of N-(4-methoxybenzyliden)-4-butylaniline in liquid crystalline and isotropic phases as determined using in situ microwave irradiation NMR spectroscopy.

Science.gov (United States)

Tasei, Yugo; Tanigawa, Fumikazu; Kawamura, Izuru; Fujito, Teruaki; Sato, Motoyasu; Naito, Akira

2015-04-14

Microwave heating effects are widely used in the acceleration of organic, polymerization and enzymatic reactions. These effects are primarily caused by the local heating induced by microwave irradiation. However, the detailed molecular mechanisms associated with microwave heating effects on the chemical reactions are not yet well understood. This study investigated the microwave heating effect of N-(4-methoxybenzylidene)-4-butylaniline (MBBA) in liquid crystalline and isotropic phases using in situ microwave irradiation nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, by obtaining (1)H NMR spectra of MBBA under microwave irradiation. When heated simply using the temperature control unit of the NMR instrument, the liquid crystalline MBBA was converted to the isotropic phase exactly at its phase transition temperature (Tc) of 41 °C. The application of microwave irradiation at 130 W for 90 s while maintaining the instrument temperature at 20 °C generated a small amount of isotropic phase within the bulk liquid crystal. The sample temperature of the liquid crystalline state obtained during microwave irradiation was estimated to be 35 °C by assessing the linewidths of the (1)H NMR spectrum. This partial transition to the isotropic phase can be attributed to a non-equilibrium local heating state induced by the microwave irradiation. The application of microwave at 195 W for 5 min to isotropic MBBA while maintaining an instrument temperature of 50 °C raised the sample temperature to 160 °C. In this study, the MBBA temperature during microwave irradiation was estimated by measuring the temperature dependent chemical shifts of individual protons in the sample, and the different protons were found to indicate significantly different temperatures in the molecule. These results suggest that microwave heating polarizes bonds in polar functional groups, and this effect may partly explain the attendant acceleration of organic reactions.

Structure and Interfacial Tension of a Hard-Rod Fluid in Planar Confinement.

Science.gov (United States)

Brumby, Paul E; Wensink, Henricus H; Haslam, Andrew J; Jackson, George

2017-10-24

The structural properties and interfacial tension of a fluid of rodlike hard-spherocylinder particles in contact with hard structureless flat walls are studied by means of Monte Carlo simulation. The calculated surface tension between the rod fluid and the substrate is characterized by a nonmonotonic trend as a function of the bulk concentration (density) over the range of isotropic bulk concentrations. As suggested by earlier theoretical studies, a surface-ordering scenario is confirmed by our simulations: the local orientational order close to the wall changes from uniaxial to biaxial nematic when the bulk concentration reaches about 85% of the value at the onset of the isotropic-nematic phase transition. The surface ordering coincides with a wetting transition whereby the hard wall is wetted by a nematic film. Accurate values of the fluid-solid surface tension, the adsorption, and the average particle-wall contact distance are reported (over a broad range of densities into the dense nematic region for the first time), which can serve as a useful benchmark for future theoretical and experimental studies on confined rod fluids. The simulation data are supplemented with predictions from second-virial density functional theory, which are in good qualitative agreement with the simulation results.

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...

Ordering dynamics of microscopic models with nonconserved order parameter of continuous symmetry

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zhang, Z.; Mouritsen, Ole G.; Zuckermann, Martin J.

1993-01-01

crystals. For both models, which have a nonconserved order parameter, it is found that the linear scale, R(t), of the evolving order, following quenches to below the transition temperature, grows at late times in an effectively algebraic fashion, R(t)∼tn, with exponent values which are strongly temperature......Numerical Monte Carlo temperature-quenching experiments have been performed on two three-dimensional classical lattice models with continuous ordering symmetry: the Lebwohl-Lasher model [Phys. Rev. A 6, 426 (1972)] and the ferromagnetic isotropic Heisenberg model. Both models describe a transition...... from a disordered phase to an orientationally ordered phase of continuous symmetry. The Lebwohl-Lasher model accounts for the orientational ordering properties of the nematic-isotropic transition in liquid crystals and the Heisenberg model for the ferromagnetic-paramagnetic transition in magnetic...

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.

The nature and dynamic of phase transitions during cooling - warming of garlic cell sap

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

А. Т. Ходько

2015-04-01

Full Text Available To identify the type of phase transition during cooling-warming in the garlic cell sap by cryomicroscopy of samples in transmitted light phenomenon of critical opalescence was recorded. Critical state is peculiar only for phase transitions between the isotropic mediums. This fact gives grounds to include phase transition in the investigated system to liquid-liquid type, which proceeds according to spinodal mechanism and nucleus growth mechanism. During rapid cooling cracking of the samples due to high internal stresses (in contrast to the slow cooling was observed. After the phase transition during cooling rouglydispersed system – highly concentrated emulsion-gel was formed. Signs of crystallization in the system under the studied conditions were not found.

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)

Phase-field-crystal model for magnetocrystalline interactions in isotropic ferromagnetic solids

Science.gov (United States)

Faghihi, Niloufar; Provatas, Nikolas; Elder, K. R.; Grant, Martin; Karttunen, Mikko

2013-09-01

An isotropic magnetoelastic phase-field-crystal model to study the relation between morphological structure and magnetic properties of pure ferromagnetic solids is introduced. Analytic calculations in two dimensions were used to determine the phase diagram and obtain the relationship between elastic strains and magnetization. Time-dependent numerical simulations in two dimensions were used to demonstrate the effect of grain boundaries on the formation of magnetic domains. It was shown that the grain boundaries act as nucleating sites for domains of reverse magnetization. Finally, we derive a relation for coercivity versus grain misorientation in the isotropic limit.

Isotropic differential phase contrast microscopy for quantitative phase bio-imaging.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Hsi-Hsun; Lin, Yu-Zi; Luo, Yuan

2018-05-16

Quantitative phase imaging (QPI) has been investigated to retrieve optical phase information of an object and applied to biological microscopy and related medical studies. In recent examples, differential phase contrast (DPC) microscopy can recover phase image of thin sample under multi-axis intensity measurements in wide-field scheme. Unlike conventional DPC, based on theoretical approach under partially coherent condition, we propose a new method to achieve isotropic differential phase contrast (iDPC) with high accuracy and stability for phase recovery in simple and high-speed fashion. The iDPC is simply implemented with a partially coherent microscopy and a programmable thin-film transistor (TFT) shield to digitally modulate structured illumination patterns for QPI. In this article, simulation results show consistency of our theoretical approach for iDPC under partial coherence. In addition, we further demonstrate experiments of quantitative phase images of a standard micro-lens array, as well as label-free live human cell samples. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

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.

Intradomain phase transitions in flexible block copolymers with self-aligning segments

Science.gov (United States)

Burke, Christopher J.; Grason, Gregory M.

2018-05-01

We study a model of flexible block copolymers (BCPs) in which there is an enlthalpic preference for orientational order, or local alignment, among like-block segments. We describe a generalization of the self-consistent field theory of flexible BCPs to include inter-segment orientational interactions via a Landau-de Gennes free energy associated with a polar or nematic order parameter for segments of one component of a diblock copolymer. We study the equilibrium states of this model numerically, using a pseudo-spectral approach to solve for chain conformation statistics in the presence of a self-consistent torque generated by inter-segment alignment forces. Applying this theory to the structure of lamellar domains composed of symmetric diblocks possessing a single block of "self-aligning" polar segments, we show the emergence of spatially complex segment order parameters (segment director fields) within a given lamellar domain. Because BCP phase separation gives rise to spatially inhomogeneous orientation order of segments even in the absence of explicit intra-segment aligning forces, the director fields of BCPs, as well as thermodynamics of lamellar domain formation, exhibit a highly non-linear dependence on both the inter-block segregation (χN) and the enthalpy of alignment (ɛ). Specifically, we predict the stability of new phases of lamellar order in which distinct regions of alignment coexist within the single mesodomain and spontaneously break the symmetries of the lamella (or smectic) pattern of composition in the melt via in-plane tilt of the director in the centers of the like-composition domains. We further show that, in analogy to Freedericksz transition confined nematics, the elastic costs to reorient segments within the domain, as described by the Frank elasticity of the director, increase the threshold value ɛ needed to induce this intra-domain phase transition.

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.

Uhlmann's geometric phase in presence of isotropic decoherence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tidstroem, Jonas; Sjoeqvist, Erik

2003-01-01

Uhlmann's mixed state geometric phase [Rep. Math. Phys. 24, 229 (1986)] is analyzed in the case of a qubit affected by isotropic decoherence treated in the Markovian approximation. It is demonstrated that this phase decreases rapidly with increasing decoherence rate and that it is most fragile to weak decoherence for pure or nearly pure initial states. In the unitary case, we compare Uhlmann's geometric phase for mixed states with that occurring in standard Mach-Zehnder interferometry [Phys. Rev. Lett. 85, 2845 (2000)] and show that the latter is more robust to reduction in the length of the Bloch vector. We also describe how Uhlmann's geometric phase in the present case could in principle be realized experimentally

Electric-field Induced Microdynamics of Charged Rods

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kyongok eKang

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Electric-field induced phase/state transitions are observed in AC electric fields with small amplitudes and low frequencies in suspensions of charged fibrous viruses (fd, which are model systems for highly charged rod-like colloids. Texture- and particle-dynamics in these field-induced states, and on crossing transition lines, are explored by image time-correlation and dynamic light scattering, respectively. At relatively low frequencies, starting from a system within the isotropic-nematic coexistence region, a transition from a nematic to a chiral nematic is observed, as well as a dynamical state where nematic domains melt and reform. These transitions are preliminary due to field-induced dissociation/association of condensed ions. At higher frequencies a uniform state is formed that is stabilized by hydrodynamic interactions through field-induced electro-osmotic flow where the rods align along the field direction. There is a point in the field-amplitude versus frequency plane where various transition lines meet. This point can be identified as a non-equilibrium critical point, in the sense that a length scale and a time scale diverge on approach of that point. The microscopic dynamics exhibits discontinuities on crossing transition lines that were identified independently by means of image and signal correlation spectroscopy.

New theory for competing interactions and microstructures in partially-ordered (liquid-crystalline) phases

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dowell, F.

1987-01-01

A summary of results from a unique statistical-physics theory to predict and explain competing interactions and resulting microstructures in some partially-ordered [in this case, liquid-crystalline (LC)] phases is presented. The static aspects of both partial orientational and partial positional ordering of the molecules into various microstructures in these phases (including the incommensurate smectic-Ad phase) can be understood in terms of various competing interactions (both entropic and energetic) involved in the packing together of the different molecular sub-units at given pressures and temperatures. These microstructures are predicted and explained (using no ad hoc or arbitrarily adjustable parameter) as a function of molecule chemical structure [including lengths and shapes (from bond lengths and angles), intramolecular rotations, site-site polarizabilities and pair potentials, dipole moments, etc]. Theoretical results are presented for the nematic, re-entrant nematic, smectic-Ad, and smectic-Al LC phases and the isotropic phase

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)

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.

A computer simulation of a potential derived from the gay-berne potential for lattice model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Habtamu Zewdie

2000-06-01

Full Text Available The lattice model of elongated molecules interacting via a potential derived from the Gay-Berne pair potential is proposed. We made a systematic study of the effect of varying the molecular elongation and intermolecular vector orientation dependence of the pair potential on the thermodynamic as well as the structural properties of liquid crystals. A Monte Carlo simulations of molecules placed at the site of a simple cubic lattice and interacting via the modified Gay-Berne potential with its nearest neighbours is performed. The internal energy, heat capacity, angular pair correlation function and scalar order parameter are obtained. The results are compared against predictions of molecular field theory, experimental results and that of other related simulations wherever possible. It is shown that for more elongated molecules the nematic-isotropic transition becomes stronger first order transition. For a given molecular elongation as the intermolecular vector orientation dependence becomes larger the nematic-isotropic transition becomes a stronger first order transition as measured by the rate of change of the order parameter and the divergence of the heat capacity. Scaling the potential well seems to have dramatic change on the effect of the potential well anisotropy on trends of nematic-isotropic transition temperature and divergence of the heat capacity. It is shown that the behaviour of many nematics can be described by proposed model with the elongation ratio of molecules and potential well anisotropy ranging from 3 to 5.

Negative thermal expansion near two structural quantum phase transitions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Occhialini, Connor A.; Handunkanda, Sahan U.; Said, Ayman; Trivedi, Sudhir; Guzmán-Verri, G. G.; Hancock, Jason N.

2017-12-01

Recent experimental work has revealed that the unusually strong, isotropic structural negative thermal expansion in cubic perovskite ionic insulator ScF3 occurs in excited states above a ground state tuned very near a structural quantum phase transition, posing a question of fundamental interest as to whether this special circumstance is related to the anomalous behavior. To test this hypothesis, we report an elastic and inelastic x-ray scattering study of a second system Hg2I2 also tuned near a structural quantum phase transition while retaining stoichiometric composition and high crystallinity. We find similar behavior and significant negative thermal expansion below 100 K for dimensions along the body-centered-tetragonal c axis, bolstering the connection between negative thermal expansion and zero-temperature structural transitions.We identify the common traits between these systems and propose a set of materials design principles that can guide discovery of newmaterials exhibiting negative thermal expansion

The effect of the lateral interactions on the critical behavior of long straight rigid rods on two-dimensional lattices

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. J. Ramirez-Pastor

2009-09-01

Full Text Available Using Monte Carlo simulations and finite-size scaling analysis, the critical behavior of attractive rigid rods of length $k$ ($k$-mers on square lattices at intermediate density has been studied. A nematic phase, characterized by a big domain of parallel $k$-mers, was found. This ordered phase is separated from the isotropic state by a continuous transition occurring at a intermediate density $heta_c$, which increases linearly with the magnitude of the lateral interactions.

One-dimensional photonic crystals with a planar oriented nematic layer: Temperature and angular dependence of the spectra of defect modes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arkhipkin, V. G.; Gunyakov, V. A.; Myslivets, S. A.; Gerasimov, V. P.; Zyryanov, V. Ya.; Vetrov, S. Ya.; Shabanov, V. F.

2008-01-01

Transmission spectra of a one-dimensional photonic crystal (PC) formed by two multilayer dielectric mirrors and a planar oriented layer of 5CB nematic liquid crystal (LC) that is sandwiched between these mirrors and serves as a structure defect are investigated experimentally. Specific features of the behavior of the spectrum of defect modes as a function of the angle of incidence of light on the crystal are studied for two polarizations: parallel and perpendicular to the director of the LC; the director either lies in the plane of incidence or is perpendicular to it. It is shown that, for the configurations considered, the maxima of the defect modes shift toward the short-wavelength region as the tilt angle of incidence radiation increases; this tendency is more manifest for the parallel-polarized component, when the director lies in the plane of incidence. In the latter case, the width of the photonic band gap (PBG) appreciably decreases. The temperature dependence of the polarization components of the transmission spectra of a PC is investigated in the case of normal incidence of light. The spectral shift of defect modes due to the variation of the refractive index of the LC at the nematic-isotropic liquid phase transition point is measured. It is shown that, in real PCs, the amplitude of defect modes decreases when approaching the center of the band gap, as well as when the number of layers in the dielectric mirrors increases. Theoretical transmission spectra of the PCs calculated by the method of recurrence relations with regard to the decay of defect modes are in good agreement with experimental data.

Two Glass Transitions Associated to Different Dynamic Disorders in the Nematic Glassy State of a Non-Symmetric Liquid Crystal Dimer Dopped with γ-Alumina Nanoparticles

Science.gov (United States)

Diez-Berart, Sergio; López, David O.; Salud, Josep; Diego, José Antonio; Sellarès, Jordi; Robles-Hernández, Beatriz; de la Fuente, María Rosario; Ros, María Blanca

2015-01-01

In the present work, the nematic glassy state of the non-symmetric LC dimer α-(4-cyanobiphenyl-4′-yloxy)-ω-(1-pyrenimine-benzylidene-4′-oxy) undecane is studied by means of calorimetric and dielectric measurements. The most striking result of the work is the presence of two different glass transition temperatures: one due to the freezing of the flip-flop motions of the bulkier unit of the dimer and the other, at a lower temperature, related to the freezing of the flip-flop and precessional motions of the cyanobiphenyl unit. This result shows the fact that glass transition is the consequence of the freezing of one or more coupled dynamic disorders and not of the disordered phase itself. In order to avoid crystallization when the bulk sample is cooled down, the LC dimer has been confined via the dispersion of γ-alumina nanoparticles, in several concentrations.

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.

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.

Many-fluid Onsager Density Functional Theories for Orientational Ordering in Mixtures of Anisotropic Hard-body Fluids

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Malijevský, Alexandr; Jackson, G.; Varga, S.

2008-01-01

Roč. 129, č. 14 (2008), , , , 144504-1-15 ISSN 0021-9606 R&D Projects: GA AV ČR IAA400720710 Grant - others:EPSRC(GB) GR/N03358; EPSRC(GB) EP/E016340; JREI(GB) GR/M94427 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z40720504 Keywords : liquid-crystal phase * isotropic nematic transition * monte-carlo-simulation Subject RIV: CF - Physical ; Theoretical Chemistry Impact factor: 3.149, year: 2008

The N-salicylidene aniline mesogen: Microscopic and macroscopic properties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nesrullazade, A.

2004-01-01

The vast majority of compounds exhibiting Iiquid crystalline phases may be regarded as having a rigid molecular central group with one or two flexible terminal alkyl or alkyloxy chains. The N-saIicyIidene anilines are very interesting and important materials both from fundamental and application points of view. These materials are on the one hand the ligands used to obtain metal containing complexes and on the other hand they are materials having the thermotropic mesomorphism. In this work we present investigations of microscopic and macroscopic properties of the 4-(Octyloxy)-N-(4-hexylphenyl)-2-hydrobenzaIimine (8SA) compound which was synthesized by our group. The 8SA compound shows the smectic C and nematic mesophases. These mesophases are enantiotropic and display specific confocal and schlieren textures, respectively. Thermotropic and thermodynamical properties of the straight and reverse phase transitions between smectic C and nematic mesophases and between nematic mesophase and isotropic liquid have been investigated

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

Phase transition induced for external field in tree-dimensional isotropic Heisenberg antiferromagnet

OpenAIRE

Neto, Minos A.; Viana, J. Roberto; Salmon, Octavio D. R.; Filho, E. Bublitz; de Sousa, J. Ricardo

2017-01-01

In this paper, we report mean-field and effective-field renormalization group calculations on the isotropic Heisenberg antiferromagnetic model under a longitudinal magnetic field. As is already known, these methods, denoted by MFRG and EFRG, are based on the comparison of two clusters of different sizes, each of them trying to mimic certain Bravais lattice. Our attention has been on the obtantion of the critical frontier in the plane of temperature versus magnetic field, for the simple cubic ...

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.

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.

Phase diagrams of antiferromagnetic spin-1 bosons on a square optical lattice with the quadratic Zeeman effect

Science.gov (United States)

de Forges de Parny, L.; Rousseau, V. G.

2018-02-01

We study the quadratic Zeeman effect (QZE) in a system of antiferromagnetic spin-1 bosons on a square lattice and derive the ground-state phase diagrams by means of quantum Monte Carlo simulations and mean-field treatment. The QZE imbalances the populations of the magnetic sublevels σ =±1 and σ =0 , and therefore affects the magnetic and mobility properties of the phases. Both methods show that the tip of the even Mott lobes, stabilized by singlet state, is destroyed when turning on the QZE, thus leaving the space to the superfluid phase. Contrariwise, the tips of odd Mott lobes remain unaffected. Therefore, the Mott-superfluid transition with even filling strongly depends on the strength of the QZE, and we show that the QZE can act as a control parameter for this transition at fixed hopping. Using quantum Monte Carlo simulations, we elucidate the nature of the phase transitions and examine in detail the nematic order: the first-order Mott-superfluid transition with even filling observed in the absence of QZE becomes second order for weak QZE, in contradistinction to our mean-field results which predict a first-order transition in a larger range of QZE. Furthermore, a spin nematic order with director along the z axis is found in the odd Mott lobes and in the superfluid phase for energetically favored σ =±1 states. In the superfluid phase with even filling, the x y components of the nematic director remain finite only for moderate QZE.

Berni Alder and Phase Transitions in Two Dimensions

Science.gov (United States)

Kosterlitz, J. Michael

I do not know Berni Alder as a person, but I feel that I know him well through his seminal paper "Phase Transition in Elastic Disks𠇍 by B. J. Alder and T. E. Wainwright [1962], which was essential in motivating David Thouless and myself to think about phase transitions in two dimensional systems with a continuous symmetry. In the early 1970's, the conventional wisdom was that a crystalline solid could not exist in a two dimensional world because of the rigorous Mermin-Wagner theorem prohibiting true long range translational order at any non-zero temperature. This contradiction was settled by the theory of dislocation mediated melting to an intermediate hexatic phase followed by a second transition to the isotropic fluid at a higher temperature. This scenario, with its associated sophisticated theory, seemed to settle the controversy of two dimensional melting once and for all. However, in our elation at understanding the fundamental physics and the essential excitations of melting in 2D, we had all forgotten that the early work of Berni Alder also showed that this melting involved a weak first order transition while theory now predicted melting by two successive continuous transitions with no discontinuity in area at the critical pressure. This discrepancy could be hand waved away by arguing that Berni's system was far too small and his computers far too slow so that the areal discontinuity could be due to finite size effects or to failing to equilibrate the system. Experiments were not able to resolve the order of the transitions, but seemed to agree quantitatively with theory…

Phase transitions in the Hubbard Hamiltonian

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chaves, C.M.; Lederer, P.; Gomes, A.A.

1977-05-01

Phase transition in the isotropic non-degenerate Hubbard Hamiltonian within the renormalization group techniques is studied, using the epsilon = 4 - d expansion to first order in epsilon. The functional obtained from the Hubbard Hamiltonian displays full rotation symmetry and describes two coupled fields: a vector spin field, with n components and a non-soft scalar charge field. This coupling is pure imaginary, which has interesting consequences on the critical properties of this coupled field system. The effect of simple constraints imposed on the charge field is considered. The relevance of the coupling between the fields in producing Fisher renormalization of the critical exponents is discussed. The possible singularities introduced in the charge-charge correlation function by the coupling are also discussed

Quantum phase transitions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sachdev, S.

1999-01-01

Phase transitions are normally associated with changes of temperature but a new type of transition - caused by quantum fluctuations near absolute zero - is possible, and can tell us more about the properties of a wide range of systems in condensed-matter physics. Nature abounds with phase transitions. The boiling and freezing of water are everyday examples of phase transitions, as are more exotic processes such as superconductivity and superfluidity. The universe itself is thought to have passed through several phase transitions as the high-temperature plasma formed by the big bang cooled to form the world as we know it today. Phase transitions are traditionally classified as first or second order. In first-order transitions the two phases co-exist at the transition temperature - e.g. ice and water at 0 deg., or water and steam at 100 deg. In second-order transitions the two phases do not co-exist. In the last decade, attention has focused on phase transitions that are qualitatively different from the examples noted above: these are quantum phase transitions and they occur only at the absolute zero of temperature. The transition takes place at the ''quantum critical'' value of some other parameter such as pressure, composition or magnetic field strength. A quantum phase transition takes place when co-operative ordering of the system disappears, but this loss of order is driven solely by the quantum fluctuations demanded by Heisenberg's uncertainty principle. The physical properties of these quantum fluctuations are quite distinct from those of the thermal fluctuations responsible for traditional, finite-temperature phase transitions. In particular, the quantum system is described by a complex-valued wavefunction, and the dynamics of its phase near the quantum critical point requires novel theories that have no analogue in the traditional framework of phase transitions. In this article the author describes the history of quantum phase transitions. (UK)

Absorbing phase transitions in deterministic fixed-energy sandpile models

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Su-Chan

2018-03-01

We investigate the origin of the difference, which was noticed by Fey et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 104, 145703 (2010), 10.1103/PhysRevLett.104.145703], between the steady state density of an Abelian sandpile model (ASM) and the transition point of its corresponding deterministic fixed-energy sandpile model (DFES). Being deterministic, the configuration space of a DFES can be divided into two disjoint classes such that every configuration in one class should evolve into one of absorbing states, whereas no configurations in the other class can reach an absorbing state. Since the two classes are separated in terms of toppling dynamics, the system can be made to exhibit an absorbing phase transition (APT) at various points that depend on the initial probability distribution of the configurations. Furthermore, we show that in general the transition point also depends on whether an infinite-size limit is taken before or after the infinite-time limit. To demonstrate, we numerically study the two-dimensional DFES with Bak-Tang-Wiesenfeld toppling rule (BTW-FES). We confirm that there are indeed many thresholds. Nonetheless, the critical phenomena at various transition points are found to be universal. We furthermore discuss a microscopic absorbing phase transition, or a so-called spreading dynamics, of the BTW-FES, to find that the phase transition in this setting is related to the dynamical isotropic percolation process rather than self-organized criticality. In particular, we argue that choosing recurrent configurations of the corresponding ASM as an initial configuration does not allow for a nontrivial APT in the DFES.

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.

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.

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.

Phase transition in the non-degenerate Hubbard Hamiltonian

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chaves, C.M.; Lederer, P.; Gomes, A.A.

1976-01-01

Phase transition in the isotropic non-degenerate Hubbard Hamiltonian within the renormalization group techniques, using the epsilon = 4 - d expansion to first order in epsilon, is studied. The functional obtained from the Hubbard Hamiltonian displays full rotation symmetry and describes two coupled fields: a vector spin field, with n components and a non-soft scalar charge field. The possibility of tricritical behavior then emerges. The effects of simple constraints imposed on the charge field is considered. The relevance of the coupling between the fields in producing Fisher renormalization of the critical exponents is discussed. The possible singularities introduced in the charge-charge correlation function by the coupling are also discussed

Miscellaneous results on the electroweak phase transition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ilgenfritz, E.M.; Schiller, A.

1994-12-01

We present new 4-D Monte Carlo results characterizing the strength of the finite temperature phase transition for Higgs/W mass ratios 1.0 and 0.6, obtained on isotropic lattices mainly with N s = 16, N t = 2. We discuss the distribution of a gauge invariant block spin order parameter, estimating the Higgs condensate Φ c at T c . We use the Potvin/Rebbi method in order to find the interface tension α/T c 3 . We demonstrate how the multi-histogram method (giving free energy differences) can be used to avoid the limiting procedure δ K → 0. From pure-phase histograms at K c , extrapolated with the help of this method, we estimate the latent heat Δε/T c 4 . Actual time series at lower Higgs mass require blocking in order to determine the jump of the lattice observables. (orig.)

Glass transition of repulsive charged rods (fd-viruses).

Science.gov (United States)

Kang, Kyongok

2014-05-14

It has recently been shown that suspensions of long and thin charged fibrous viruses (fd) form a glass at low ionic strengths. The corresponding thick electric double layers give rise to long-ranged repulsive electrostatic interactions, which lead to caging and structural arrest at concentrations far above the isotropic-nematic coexistence region. Structural arrest and freezing of the orientational texture are found to occur at the same concentration. In addition, various types of orientational textures are equilibrated below the glass transition concentration, ranging from a chiral-nematic texture with a large pitch (of about 100 μm), an X-pattern, and a tightly packed domain texture, consisting of helical domains with a relatively small pitch (of about 10 μm) and twisted boundaries. The dynamics of both particles as well as the texture are discussed, below and above the glass transition. Dynamic light scattering correlation functions exhibit two dynamical modes, where the slow mode is attributed to the elasticity of helical domains. On approach of the glass-transition concentration, the slow mode increases in amplitude, while as the amplitudes of the fast and slow mode become equal at the glass transition. Finally, interesting features of the "transient" behaviors of charged fd-rod glass are shown as the initial caging due to structural arrest, the propagation of flow originating from stress release, and the transition to the final metastable glass state. In addition to the intensity correlation function, power spectra are presented as a function of the waiting time, at the zero-frequency limit that may access to the thermal anomalities in a charged system.

Computer simulation and high level virial theory of Saturn-ring or UFO colloids

Science.gov (United States)

Bates, Martin A.; Dennison, Matthew; Masters, Andrew

2008-08-01

Monte Carlo simulations are used to map out the complete phase diagram of hard body UFO systems, in which the particles are composed of a concentric sphere and thin disk. The equation of state and phase behavior are determined for a range of relative sizes of the sphere and disk. We show that for relatively large disks, nematic and solid phases are observed in addition to the isotropic fluid. For small disks, two different solid phases exist. For intermediate sizes, only a disordered fluid phase is observed. The positional and orientational structure of the various phases are examined. We also compare the equations of state and the nematic-isotropic coexistence densities with those predicted by an extended Onsager theory using virial coefficients up to B8.

Magneto-responsive liquid crystalline elastomer nanocomposites as potential candidates for dynamic cell culture substrates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Herrera-Posada, Stephany; Mora-Navarro, Camilo; Ortiz-Bermudez, Patricia; Torres-Lugo, Madeline [Department of Chemical Engineering, Call Box 9000, University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez PR 00681 (Puerto Rico); McElhinny, Kyle M.; Evans, Paul G. [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, 1509 University Avenue, University of Wisconsin-Madison, WI 53706 (United States); Calcagno, Barbara O. [Department of General Engineering, Call Box 9000, University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez PR 00681 (Puerto Rico); Acevedo, Aldo, E-mail: aldo.acevedo@upr.edu [Department of Chemical Engineering, Call Box 9000, University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez PR 00681 (Puerto Rico)

2016-08-01

Recently, liquid crystalline elastomers (LCEs) have been proposed as active substrates for cell culture due to their potential to attach and orient cells, and impose dynamic mechanical signals through the application of external stimuli. In this report, the preparation of anisotropic and oriented nematic magnetic-sensitized LCEs with iron oxide nanoparticles, and the evaluation of the effect of particle addition at low concentrations on the resultant structural, thermal, thermo-mechanical, and mechanical properties is presented. Phase transformations produced by heating in alternating magnetic fields were investigated in LCEs in contact with air, water, and a common liquid cell culture medium was also evaluated. The inclusion of nanoparticles into the elastomers displaced the nematic-to-isotropic phase transition, without affecting the nematic structure as evidenced by similar values of the order parameter, while reducing the maximum thermomechanical deformations. Remote and reversible deformations of the magnetic LCEs were achieved through the application of alternating magnetic fields, which induces the nematic–isotropic phase transition through nanoparticle heat generation. Formulation parameters can be modified to allow for remote actuation at values closer to the human physiological temperature range and within the range of deformations that can affect the cellular behavior of fibroblasts. Finally, a collagen surface treatment was performed to improve compatibility with NIH-3T3 fibroblast cultures, which enabled the attachment and proliferation of fibroblasts on substrates with and without magnetic particles under quiescent conditions. The LCEs developed in this work, which are able to deform and experience stress changes by remote contact-less magnetic stimulation, may allow for further studies on the effect of substrate morphology changes and dynamic mechanical properties during in vitro cell culture. - Highlights: • Magnetic LCE nanocomposites were

Magneto-responsive liquid crystalline elastomer nanocomposites as potential candidates for dynamic cell culture substrates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Herrera-Posada, Stephany; Mora-Navarro, Camilo; Ortiz-Bermudez, Patricia; Torres-Lugo, Madeline; McElhinny, Kyle M.; Evans, Paul G.; Calcagno, Barbara O.; Acevedo, Aldo

2016-01-01

Recently, liquid crystalline elastomers (LCEs) have been proposed as active substrates for cell culture due to their potential to attach and orient cells, and impose dynamic mechanical signals through the application of external stimuli. In this report, the preparation of anisotropic and oriented nematic magnetic-sensitized LCEs with iron oxide nanoparticles, and the evaluation of the effect of particle addition at low concentrations on the resultant structural, thermal, thermo-mechanical, and mechanical properties is presented. Phase transformations produced by heating in alternating magnetic fields were investigated in LCEs in contact with air, water, and a common liquid cell culture medium was also evaluated. The inclusion of nanoparticles into the elastomers displaced the nematic-to-isotropic phase transition, without affecting the nematic structure as evidenced by similar values of the order parameter, while reducing the maximum thermomechanical deformations. Remote and reversible deformations of the magnetic LCEs were achieved through the application of alternating magnetic fields, which induces the nematic–isotropic phase transition through nanoparticle heat generation. Formulation parameters can be modified to allow for remote actuation at values closer to the human physiological temperature range and within the range of deformations that can affect the cellular behavior of fibroblasts. Finally, a collagen surface treatment was performed to improve compatibility with NIH-3T3 fibroblast cultures, which enabled the attachment and proliferation of fibroblasts on substrates with and without magnetic particles under quiescent conditions. The LCEs developed in this work, which are able to deform and experience stress changes by remote contact-less magnetic stimulation, may allow for further studies on the effect of substrate morphology changes and dynamic mechanical properties during in vitro cell culture. - Highlights: • Magnetic LCE nanocomposites were

Eigenstate Phase Transitions

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Bo

Phase transitions are one of the most exciting physical phenomena ever discovered. The understanding of phase transitions has long been of interest. Recently eigenstate phase transitions have been discovered and studied; they are drastically different from traditional thermal phase transitions. In eigenstate phase transitions, a sharp change is exhibited in properties of the many-body eigenstates of the Hamiltonian of a quantum system, but not the thermal equilibrium properties of the same system. In this thesis, we study two different types of eigenstate phase transitions. The first is the eigenstate phase transition within the ferromagnetic phase of an infinite-range spin model. By studying the interplay of the eigenstate thermalization hypothesis and Ising symmetry breaking, we find two eigenstate phase transitions within the ferromagnetic phase: In the lowest-temperature phase the magnetization can macroscopically oscillate by quantum tunneling between up and down. The relaxation of the magnetization is always overdamped in the remainder of the ferromagnetic phase, which is further divided into phases where the system thermally activates itself over the barrier between the up and down states, and where it quantum tunnels. The second is the many-body localization phase transition. The eigenstates on one side of the transition obey the eigenstate thermalization hypothesis; the eigenstates on the other side are many-body localized, and thus thermal equilibrium need not be achieved for an initial state even after evolving for an arbitrary long time. We study this many-body localization phase transition in the strong disorder renormalization group framework. After setting up a set of coarse-graining rules for a general one dimensional chain, we get a simple "toy model'' and obtain an almost purely analytical solution to the infinite-randomness critical fixed point renormalization group equation. We also get an estimate of the correlation length critical exponent nu

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.

Bistability induced by crossed electric and magnetic fields in a nematic film

Science.gov (United States)

Barbero, G.; Miraldi, E.; Oldano, C.

1988-09-01

The static distortions in a homogeneously aligned nematic liquid-crystal film in crossed electric and magnetic fields are theoretically analyzed. Both fields are orthogonal to the undistorted molecular alignment and destabilizing. In the limit of small distortions, a first-order transition between two distorted configurations, with bistability and hysteresis, is obtained if the dielectric anisotropy parameter 1-ɛ∥/ɛ⊥ is lower than the elastic anisotropy parameter (k3-k2)2/(4k1k2), where k1, k2, and k3 are the Frank elastic constants. This condition is satisfied by many commonly used nematic materials. At higher distortions an inversion point is found, above which the transition becomes of the second order. At this point a phenomenon similar to the critical opalescence of fluids is expected.

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.

Phase transitions

CERN Document Server

Sole, Ricard V; Solé, Ricard V; Solé, Ricard V; Sol, Ricard V; Solé, Ricard V

2011-01-01

Phase transitions--changes between different states of organization in a complex system--have long helped to explain physics concepts, such as why water freezes into a solid or boils to become a gas. How might phase transitions shed light on important problems in biological and ecological complex systems? Exploring the origins and implications of sudden changes in nature and society, Phase Transitions examines different dynamical behaviors in a broad range of complex systems. Using a compelling set of examples, from gene networks and ant colonies to human language and the degradation of diverse ecosystems, the book illustrates the power of simple models to reveal how phase transitions occur. Introductory chapters provide the critical concepts and the simplest mathematical techniques required to study phase transitions. In a series of example-driven chapters, Ricard Solé shows how such concepts and techniques can be applied to the analysis and prediction of complex system behavior, including the origins of ...

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)

Elastic and hydrodynamic torques on a colloidal disk within a nematic liquid crystal.

Science.gov (United States)

Rovner, Joel B; Borgnia, Dan S; Reich, Daniel H; Leheny, Robert L

2012-10-01

The orientationally dependent elastic energy and hydrodynamic behavior of colloidal disks with homeotropic surface anchoring suspended in the nematic liquid crystal 4-cyano-4'-pentylbiphenyl (5CB) have been investigated. In the absence of external torques, the disks align with the normal of the disk face â parallel to the nematic director n[over ^]. When a magnetic field is applied, the disks rotate â by an angle θ so that the magnetic torque and the elastic torque caused by distortion of the nematic director field are balanced. Over a broad range of angles, the elastic torque increases linearly with θ in quantitative agreement with a theoretical prediction based on an electrostatic analogy. When the disks are rotated to angles θ>π/2, the resulting large elastic distortion makes the disk orientation unstable, and the director undergoes a topological transition in which θ→π-θ. In the transition, a defect loop is shed from the disk surface, and the disks spin so that â sweeps through π radians as the loop collapses back onto the disk. Additional measurements of the angular relaxation of disks to θ=0 following removal of the external torque show a quasi-exponential time dependence from which an effective drag viscosity for the nematic can be extracted. The scaling of the angular time dependence with disk radius and observations of disks rotating about â indicate that the disk motion affects the director field at surprisingly modest Ericksen numbers.

New theories for smectic and nematic liquid-crystal polymers: Backbone LCPs [liquid crystalline polymers] and their mixtures and side-chain LCPs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dowell, F.

1987-01-01

A summary of predictions and explanations from statistical-physics theories for both backbone and side-chain liquid crystalline polymers (LCPs) and for mixtures with backbone LCPs are presented. Trends in the thermodynamic and molecular ordering properties 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. The theoretical results are found to be in good agreement with existing experimental data. These theories can also be applied to combined LCPs. Since these theories have no ad hoc or arbitrarily adjustable parameters, these theories can be used to design new LCPs and new solvents as well as to predict and explain properties. 27 refs., 4 tabs

Reconstruction of Band Structure Induced by Electronic Nematicity in an FeSe Superconductor

Science.gov (United States)

Nakayama, K.; Miyata, Y.; Phan, G. N.; Sato, T.; Tanabe, Y.; Urata, T.; Tanigaki, K.; Takahashi, T.

2014-12-01

We have performed high-resolution angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy on an FeSe superconductor (Tc˜8 K ), which exhibits a tetragonal-to-orthorhombic structural transition at Ts˜90 K . At low temperature, we found splitting of the energy bands as large as 50 meV at the M point in the Brillouin zone, likely caused by the formation of electronically driven nematic states. This band splitting persists up to T ˜110 K , slightly above Ts, suggesting that the structural transition is triggered by the electronic nematicity. We have also revealed that at low temperature the band splitting gives rise to a van Hove singularity within 5 meV of the Fermi energy. The present result strongly suggests that this unusual electronic state is responsible for the unconventional superconductivity in FeSe.

Molecular aspect ratio and anchoring strength effects in a confined Gay-Berne liquid crystal

Science.gov (United States)

Cañeda-Guzmán, E.; Moreno-Razo, J. A.; Díaz-Herrera, E.; Sambriski, E. J.

2014-04-01

Phase diagrams for Gay-Berne (GB) fluids were obtained from molecular dynamics simulations for GB(2, 5, 1, 2) (i.e. short mesogens) and GB(3, 5, 1, 2) (i.e. long mesogens), which yield isotropic, nematic, and smectic-B phases. The long-mesogen fluid also yields the smectic-A phase. Ordered phases of the long-mesogen fluid form at higher temperatures and lower densities when compared to those of the short-mesogen fluid. The effect of confinement under weak and strong substrate couplings in slab geometry was investigated. Compared to the bulk, the isotropic-nematic transition does not shift in temprature significantly for the weakly coupled substrate in either mesogen fluid. However, the strongly coupled substrate shifts the transition to lower temperature. Confinement induces marked stratification in the short-mesogen fluid. This effect diminishes with distance from the substrate, yielding bulk-like behaviour in the slab central region. Fluid stratification is very weak for the long-mesogen fluid, but the strongly coupled substrate induces 'smectisation', an ordering effect that decays with distance. Orientation of the fluid on the substrate depends on the mesogen. There is no preferred orientation in a plane parallel to the substrate for the weakly coupled case. In the strongly coupled case, the mesogen orientation mimics that of adjacent fluid layers. Planar anchoring is observed with a broad distribution of orientations in the weakly coupled case. In the strongly coupled case, the distribution leans toward planar orientations for the short-mesogen fluid, while a marginal preference for tilting persists in the long-mesogen fluid.

Nematic liquid crystals on sinusoidal channels: the zigzag instability.

Science.gov (United States)

Silvestre, Nuno M; Romero-Enrique, Jose M; Telo da Gama, Margarida M

2017-01-11

Substrates which are chemically or topographically patterned induce a variety of liquid crystal textures. The response of the liquid crystal to competing surface orientations, typical of patterned substrates, is determined by the anisotropy of the elastic constants and the interplay of the relevant lengths scales, such as the correlation length and the surface geometrical parameters. Transitions between different textures, usually with different symmetries, may occur under a wide range of conditions. We use the Landau-de Gennes free energy to investigate the texture of nematics in sinusoidal channels with parallel anchoring bounded by nematic-air interfaces that favour perpendicular (hometropic) anchoring. In micron size channels 5CB was observed to exhibit a non-trivial texture characterized by a disclination line, within the channel, which is broken into a zigzag pattern. Our calculations reveal that when the elastic anisotropy of the nematic does not favour twist distortions the defect is a straight disclination line that runs along the channel, which breaks into a zigzag pattern with a characteristic period, when the twist elastic constant becomes sufficiently small when compared to the splay and bend constants. The transition occurs through a twist instability that drives the defect line to rotate from its original position. The interplay between the energetically favourable twist distortions that induce the defect rotation and the liquid crystal anchoring at the surfaces leads to the zigzag pattern. We investigate in detail the dependence of the periodicity of the zigzag pattern on the geometrical parameters of the sinusoidal channels, which in line with the experimental results is found to be non-linear.

Artificial muscles based on liquid crystal elastomers.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Min-Hui; Keller, Patrick

2006-10-15

This paper presents our results on liquid crystal (LC) elastomers as artificial muscle, based on the ideas proposed by de Gennes. In the theoretical model, the material consists of a repeated series of main-chain nematic LC polymer blocks, N, and conventional rubber blocks, R, based on the lamellar phase of a triblock copolymer RNR. The motor for the contraction is the reversible macromolecular shape change of the chain, from stretched to spherical, that occurs at the nematic-to-isotropic phase transition in the main-chain nematic LC polymers. We first developed a new kind of muscle-like material based on a network of side-on nematic LC homopolymers. Side-on LC polymers were used instead of main-chain LC polymers for synthetic reasons. The first example of these materials was thermo-responsive, with a typical contraction of around 35-45% and a generated force of around 210 kPa. Subsequently, a photo-responsive material was developed, with a fast photochemically induced contraction of around 20%, triggered by UV light. We then succeeded in preparing a thermo-responsive artificial muscle, RNR, with lamellar structure, using a side-on nematic LC polymer as N block.Micrometre-sized artificial muscles were also prepared. This paper illustrates the bottom-up design of stimuli-responsive materials, in which the overall material response reflects the individual macromolecular response, using LC polymer as building block.

Cosmological phase transitions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kolb, E.W.

1993-10-01

If modern ideas about the role of spontaneous symmetry breaking in fundamental physics are correct, then the Universe should have undergone a series of phase transitions early in its history. The study of cosmological phase transitions has become an important aspect of early-Universe cosmology. In this lecture I review some very recent work on three aspects of phase transitions: the electroweak transition, texture, and axions

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)

Dynamics of optical signals in a nematic waveguide

Science.gov (United States)

Reyes, J. Adrian

2001-03-01

We study the modes in a nonlinear nematic waveguide above the Frederickz transition and calculate each of the thresholds associated with different optical and orientational modes. Then, we exhibit the presence of kink-like solutions for the orientational equation under the action of optical fields and study its propagation. Finally, we analyse the dynamics of optical signal in the presence of orientational kinks for different modes and type of signals.

Hydrodynamics of defects in nematic liquid crystal films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kurz, G.

1999-01-01

In this thesis I propose a new theory to deal with the presence of a macroscopic density of defects or disclinations in two-dimensional systems of uniaxial nematic liquid crystal. The static part of the Abelian-Higgs model is the basis for a gauge covariant form of the Frank free energy for distortions in nematics, where the gauge field models the screening due to the presence of the defects. Certain results for vortices in the Abelian-Higgs model are reformulated for use in my theory. The model suggests disclinations with an isotropic core region. The covariant Frank free energy is used to derive a new form of the Ericksen-Leslie equations describing the hydrodynamics off nematics. These equations are set up according to the concept of thermodynamic fluxes and forces. Detailed analytic results are derived for the case where the dynamics is due to director reorientations, but no liquid flow. The hydrodynamic equations are reduced to dynamic equations for disclination points assuming a quasi-static motion in moduli space. The static form of the disclinations is based on solutions in the Bogomol'nyi limit, their quasi-static motion is induced through a deviation from this limit. The resulting equations are valid for a configuration containing disclinations with winding numbers of the same sign. These general equations require a, specific ansatz to yield further results. I consider two regimes, for defects close together and far apart from one another. A set of disclinations with winding numbers of the same sign which are close to one another, i.e. with overlapping cores, can result from disintegration of a larger disclination, and they repel one another. The results for this case predict how the disintegration could occur. The interaction of disclinations, with winding numbers of the same sign, which are far apart from one another is repulsive and decreases exponentially with the distances between them. Two such disclinations move on a straight line where their

Dynamic Spin-Lattice Coupling and Nematic Fluctuations in NaFeAs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yu Li

2018-06-01

Full Text Available We use inelastic neutron scattering to study acoustic phonons and spin excitations in single crystals of NaFeAs, a parent compound of iron-pnictide superconductors. NaFeAs exhibits a tetragonal-to-orthorhombic structural transition at T_{s}≈58  K and a collinear antiferromagnetic order at T_{N}≈45  K. While longitudinal and out-of-plane transverse acoustic phonons behave as expected, the in-plane transverse acoustic phonons reveal considerable softening on cooling to T_{s} and then harden on approaching T_{N} before saturating below T_{N}. In addition, we find that spin-spin correlation lengths of low-energy magnetic excitations within the FeAs layer and along the c axis increase dramatically below T_{s} and show a weak anomaly across T_{N}. These results suggest that the electronic nematic phase present in the paramagnetic tetragonal phase is closely associated with dynamic spin-lattice coupling, possibly arising from the one-phonon–two-magnon mechanism.

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.

Effect of interionic anisotropy on the phase states and spectra of a non-Heisenberg magnet with S = 1

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kosmachev, O. A.; Krivtsova, A. V.; Fridman, Yu. A., E-mail: yuriifridman@gmail.com [Vernadskii Crimea Federal University (Russian Federation)

2016-02-15

We study the effect of interionic anisotropy on the phase states of a non-Heisenberg ferromagnet with magnetic ion spin S = 1. It is shown that depending on the relation between the interionic anisotropy constants, uniaxial and angular ferromagnetic and nonmagnetic phases exist in the system. We analyze the dynamic properties of the system in the vicinity of orientational phase transitions, as well as a phase transition in the magnetic moment magnitude. It is shown that orientational phase transitions in ferromagnetic and nematic phases can be first- as well as second-order.

Small quartz silica spheres induced disorder in octylcyanobiphenyl (8CB) liquid crystals: A thermal study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marinelli, M.; Ghosh, A. K.; Mercuri, F.

2001-01-01

A photopyroelectric technique has been applied to the study of specific heat and thermal conductivity of homeotropically aligned mixtures of small quartz spheres (aerosil) and octylcyanobiphenyl (8CB) with concentration 0≤ρ s ≤0.04g/cm 3 . Thermal conductivity data show that, even at these very low concentrations, an annealing of the disorder introduced by the aerosil takes place on cooling at the smectic-A - nematic (Sm-A - N) phase transition and not only at the nematic-isotropic (N-I) one. This means that there is some elastic strain in the nematic phase of the sample which is not quenched. Accordingly the suppression of the N-I transition temperature as a function of ρ s does not fit a random field with a random dilution model that accounts for random quenched disorder only. High resolution specific heat measurements at the A-N and N-I transition show the effect of the aerosil is not the same. While in the first case its peak is suppressed with increasing concentration, in the second case there are some indications that outside the two-phase coexistence region it is enhanced. The effect of surface-induced alignment is also discussed to explain some discrepancies between our data and the ones reported in literature. It is concluded that the amount of disorder in the sample does not depend on ρ s only, but also on other variables such as external fields. Finally, a relaxation phenomenon in the aerosil network that partially compensate the disordering effect of the particles is suggested to explain the concentration dependence of the transition temperatures

Cosmological phase transitions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kolb, E.W.

1987-01-01

If the universe stated from conditions of high temperature and density, there should have been a series of phase transitions associated with spontaneous symmetry breaking. The cosmological phase transitions could have observable consequences in the present Universe. Some of the consequences including the formation of topological defects and cosmological inflation are reviewed here. One of the most important tools in building particle physics models is the use of spontaneous symmetry breaking (SSB). The proposal that there are underlying symmetries of nature that are not manifest in the vacuum is a crucial link in the unification of forces. Of particular interest for cosmology is the expectation that are the high temperatures of the big bang symmetries broken today will be restored, and that there are phase transitions to the broken state. The possibility that topological defects will be produced in the transition is the subject of this section. The possibility that the Universe will undergo inflation in a phase transition will be the subject of the next section. Before discussing the creation of topological defects in the phase transition, some general aspects of high-temperature restoration of symmetry and the development of the phase transition will be reviewed. 29 references, 1 figure, 1 table

The study of the elasticity of spider dragline silk with liquid crystal model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cui Linying; Liu Fei; Ouyang Zhongcan

2009-01-01

Spider dragline silk is an optimal biomaterial with a combination of high tensile strength and high elasticity, and it has long been suggested to belong to liquid crystalline materials. However, a satisfactory liquid crystal description for the mechanical properties of the dragline is still missing. To solve the long existing problem, we generalized the Maier-Saupe theory of nematics to construct a liquid crystal model of the deformation mechanism of the dragline silk. We show that the remarkable elasticity of the dragline can be understood as the isotropic-nematic phase transition of the chain network with the beginning of the transition corresponding to the yield point. The calculated curve fits well with the measurements and the yield point is obtained self-consistently within our framework. The present theory can also qualitatively account for the drop of stress in supercontracted spider silk. All these comprehensive agreements between theory and experiments strongly indicate the dragline to belong to liquid crystal materials.

Electro-osmosis of nematic liquid crystals under weak anchoring and second-order surface effects

Science.gov (United States)

Poddar, Antarip; Dhar, Jayabrata; Chakraborty, Suman

2017-07-01

Advent of nematic liquid crystal flows has attracted renewed attention in view of microfluidic transport phenomena. Among various transport processes, electro-osmosis stands as one of the efficient flow actuation mechanisms through narrow confinements. In the present study, we explore the electrically actuated flow of an ordered nematic fluid with ionic inclusions, taking into account the influences from surface-induced elasticity and electrical double layer (EDL) phenomena. Toward this, we devise the coupled flow governing equations from fundamental free-energy analysis, considering the contributions from first- and second-order elastic, dielectric, flexoelectric, charged surface polarization, ionic and entropic energies. The present study focuses on the influence of surface charge and elasticity effects in the resulting linear electro-osmosis through a slit-type microchannel whose surfaces are chemically treated to display a homeotropic-type weak anchoring state. An optical periodic stripe configuration of the nematic director has been observed, especially for higher electric fields, wherein the Ericksen number for the dynamic study is restricted to the order of unity. Contrary to the isotropic electrolytes, the EDL potential in this case was found to be dependent on the external field strength. Through a systematic investigation, we brought out the fact that the wavelength of the oscillating patterns is dictated mainly by the external field, while the amplitude depends on most of the physical variables ranging from the anchoring strength and the flexoelectric coefficients to the surface charge density and electrical double layer thickness.

Local structural ordering in surface-confined liquid crystals

Science.gov (United States)

Śliwa, I.; Jeżewski, W.; Zakharov, A. V.

2017-06-01

The effect of the interplay between attractive nonlocal surface interactions and attractive pair long-range intermolecular couplings on molecular structures of liquid crystals confined in thin cells with flat solid surfaces has been studied. Extending the McMillan mean field theory to include finite systems, it has been shown that confining surfaces can induce complex orientational and translational ordering of molecules. Typically, local smectic A, nematic, and isotropic phases have been shown to coexist in certain temperature ranges, provided that confining cells are sufficiently thick, albeit finite. Due to the nonlocality of surface interactions, the spatial arrangement of these local phases can display, in general, an unexpected complexity along the surface normal direction. In particular, molecules located in the vicinity of surfaces can still be organized in smectic layers, even though nematic and/or isotropic order can simultaneously appear in the interior of cells. The resulting surface freezing of smectic layers has been confirmed to occur even for rather weak surface interactions. The surface interactions cannot, however, prevent smectic layers from melting relatively close to system boundaries, even when molecules are still arranged in layers within the central region of the system. The internal interfaces, separating individual liquid-crystal phases, are demonstrated here to form fronts of local finite-size transitions that move across cells under temperature changes. Although the complex molecular ordering in surface confined liquid-crystal systems can essentially be controlled by temperature variations, specific thermal properties of these systems, especially the nature of the local transitions, are argued to be strongly conditioned to the degree of molecular packing.

Entropic Behavior of Binary Carbonaceous Mesophases

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alejandro D. Rey

2008-08-01

Full Text Available The Maier-Saupe model for binary mixtures of uniaxial discotic nematogens, formulated in a previous study [1], is used to compute and characterize orientational entropy [2] and orientational specific heat. These thermodynamic quantities are used to determine mixture type (ideal or non-ideal which arise due to their different intrinsic properties, determined by the molecular weight asymmetry ΔMw and the molecular interaction parameter β. These molecular properties are also used to characterize the critical concentration where the mixture behaves like a single component system and exhibits the minimum nematic to isotropic (NI transition temperature (pseudo-pure mixture. A transition within the nematic phase takes place at this specific concentration. According to the Maier-Saupe model, in a single mesogen, entropy at NI transition is a universal value; in this work we quantify the mixing effect on this universal property. The results and analysis provide a new tool to characterize molecular interaction and molecular weight differences in mesogenic mixtures using standard calorimetric measurements.

8OCB and 8CB Liquid Crystals Confined in Nanoporous Alumina: Effect of Confinement on the Structure and Dynamics.

Science.gov (United States)

Selevou, Aristoula; Papamokos, George; Steinhart, Martin; Floudas, George

2017-08-03

The effect of oxygen substitution is studied in two homologous compounds of n-cyanobiphenyls with n = 8 in the bulk and under confinement within self-ordered nanoporous alumina (AAO). Oxygen substitution in 8OCB increases the dipole moment and stabilizes the crystalline, smectic, and nematic phases to higher temperatures relative to 8CB. Within their smectic- A (SmA) phase both 8CB and 8OCB behave as weak viscoelastic solids with low shear moduli reflecting the underlying supramolecular defect structure. Dielectric spectroscopy assisted by DFT calculations identified strong dipolar associations within the isotropic phases characterized by a Kirkwood-Fröhlich interaction parameter, g ∼ 0.36. Dielectric spectroscopy further identified a slow process (∼ kHz) of low dielectric strength. The proximity of this process to the rheology time scale suggests as common origin a cooperative relaxation of the defect structure. Confinement alters the phase diagram by stabilizing certain crystalline phases and by reducing the N-I transition temperature in agreement with surface tension effects. However, the N-I transition seems to retain its first order character. Surface treatment with n-decyltrichlorosilane results in destabilization of the SmA phase at the expense of the N phase. This is consistent with a picture of surface anchored LC molecules at the pore walls that stabilize the nematic phase.

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

Phase transitions and molecular motions in [Ni(ND3)6](ClO4)2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Migdal-Mikuli, Anna; Mikuli, Edward; Gorska, Natalia; Kowalska, Aneta; Ulanski, Jacek

2004-01-01

[Ni(ND 3 ) 6 ](ClO 4 ) 2 has three solid phases between 100 and 300 K. The phase transitions temperatures at heating (T C1 h =164.1 K and T C2 h =145.1 K) are shifted, as compared to the non-deuterated compound, towards the lower temperature of ca. 8 and 5 K, respectively. The ClO 4 - anions perform fast, picosecond, isotropic reorientation with the activation energy of 6.6 kJ mol -1 , which abruptly slow down at T C1 c phase transition, during sample cooling. The ND 3 ligands perform fast uniaxial reorientation around the Ni-N bond in all three detected phases, with the effective activation energy of 2.9 kJ mol -1 . The reorientational motion of ND 3 is only slightly distorted at the T C1 phase transition due to the dynamical orientational order-disorder process of anions. The low value of the activation energy for the ND 3 reorientation suggests that this reorientation undergoes the translation-rotation coupling, which makes the barrier to the rotation of the ammonia ligands not constant but fluctuating. The phase polymorphism and the dynamics of the molecular reorientations of the title compound are similar but not quite identical with these of the [Ni(NH 3 ) 6 ](ClO 4 ) 2

Scaling, phase transitions, and nonuniversality in a self-organized critical cellular-automaton model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Christensen, K.; Olami, Z.

1992-01-01

We present a two-dimensional continuous cellular automaton that is equivalent to a driven spring-block model. Both the conservation and the anisotropy in the model are controllable quantities. Above a critical level of conservation, the model exhibits self-organized criticality. The self-organization of this system and hence the critical exponents depend on the conservation and the boundary conditions. In the critical isotropic nonconservative phase, the exponents change continuously as a function of conservation. Furthermore, the exponents vary continuously when changing the boundary conditions smoothly. Consequently, there is no universality of the critical exponents. We discuss the relevance of this for earthquakes. Introducing anisotropy changes the scaling of the distribution function, but not the power-law exponent. We explore the phase diagram of this model. We find that at low conservation levels a localization transition occurs. We see two additional phase transitions. The first is seen when moving from the conservative into the nonconservative model. The second appears when passing from the anisotropic two-dimensional system to the purely one-dimensional system

Mechanical and electronic properties of monolayer and bilayer phosphorene under uniaxial and isotropic strains.

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Ting; Han, Yang; Dong, Jinming

2014-11-14

The mechanical and electronic properties of both the monolayer and bilayer phosphorenes under either isotropic or uniaxial strain have been systematically investigated using first-principles calculations. It is interesting to find that: 1) Under a large enough isotropic tensile strain, the monolayer phosphorene would lose its pucker structure and transform into a flat hexagonal plane, while two inner sublayers of the bilayer phosphorene could be bonded due to its interlayer distance contraction. 2) Under the uniaxial tensile strain along a zigzag direction, the pucker distance of each layer in the bilayer phosphorene can exhibit a specific negative Poisson's ratio. 3) The electronic properties of both the monolayer and bilayer phosphorenes are sensitive to the magnitude and direction of the applied strains. Their band gaps decrease more rapidly under isotropic compressive strain than under uniaxial strain. Also, their direct-indirect band gap transitions happen at the larger isotropic tensile strains compared with that under uniaxial strain. 4) Under the isotropic compressive strain, the bilayer phosphorene exhibits a transition from a direct-gap semiconductor to a metal. In contrast, the monolayer phosphorene initially has the direct-indirect transition and then transitions to a metal. However, under isotropic tensile strain, both the bilayer and monolayer phosphorene show the direct-indirect transition and, finally, the transition to a metal. Our numerical results may open new potential applications of phosphorene in nanoelectronics and nanomechanical devices by external isotropic strain or uniaxial strain along different directions.

Electro-optical and dielectric properties of CdSe quantum dots and 6CHBT liquid crystals composites

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Singh, U. B.; Pandey, M. B., E-mail: mbpandey@gmail.com [Department of Physics, Vikramajit Singh Sanatan Dharama College, Kanpur-208002 (India); Dhar, R; Pandey, A. S. [Centre of Material Sciences, Institute of Interdisciplinary Studies, University of Allahabad, Allahabad-211002 (India); Kumar, S. [Raman Research Institute, C. V. Raman Avenue, Bangalore-560080 (India); Dabrowski, R. [Institute of Applied Sciences and Chemistry, Military University of Technology, 00-908-Warswa (Poland)

2014-11-15

We have prepared the composites of a room temperature nematic liquid crystal namely 4-(trans-4-n-hexylcyclohexyl) isothiocyanatobenzoate (6CHBT) and Cadmium Selenide Quantum Dots (CdSe-QDs) and investigated their electro-optical and dielectric properties. Effect of dispersion of CdSe-QDs on various electro-optical and display parameters of host liquid crystalline material have been studied. Physical parameters, such as switching threshold voltage and splay elastic constant have been altered drastically for composites. Dispersion of QDs in a liquid crystals medium destabilizes nematic ordering of the host and decreases the nematic-to-isotropic transition temperature.

Electro-optical and dielectric properties of CdSe quantum dots and 6CHBT liquid crystals composites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Singh, U. B.; Pandey, M. B.; Dhar, R; Pandey, A. S.; Kumar, S.; Dabrowski, R.

2014-01-01

We have prepared the composites of a room temperature nematic liquid crystal namely 4-(trans-4-n-hexylcyclohexyl) isothiocyanatobenzoate (6CHBT) and Cadmium Selenide Quantum Dots (CdSe-QDs) and investigated their electro-optical and dielectric properties. Effect of dispersion of CdSe-QDs on various electro-optical and display parameters of host liquid crystalline material have been studied. Physical parameters, such as switching threshold voltage and splay elastic constant have been altered drastically for composites. Dispersion of QDs in a liquid crystals medium destabilizes nematic ordering of the host and decreases the nematic-to-isotropic transition temperature

The phase transition and elastic and optical properties of polymorphs of CuI

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhu Jiajie; Pandey, Ravindra; Gu Mu

2012-01-01

The high-pressure polymorphs of CuI have attracted much attention due to the somewhat contradictory identification of their structures by means of x-ray diffraction measurements and theoretical calculations. In this paper, we report the results of a theoretical investigation of polymorphs of CuI including zinc-blende, rhombohedral, tetragonal, rocksalt and orthorhombic phases. We find that CuI follows the high-pressure transition path from the zinc-blende phase to the orthorhombic phase via the tetragonal phase, and the rhombohedral phase shows mechanical instability under high pressure. The bulk moduli are almost isotropic but the shear moduli show large anisotropy in these polymorphs. A relatively strong hybridization of I p and Cu d states appears to determine the electronic properties of the CuI polymorphs. The zinc-blende and tetragonal CuI are direct gap semiconductors and their optical properties are similar, whereas the orthorhombic CuI is metallic.

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.

Self-organisation of semi-flexible rod-like particles

Science.gov (United States)

de Braaf, Bart; Oshima Menegon, Mariana; Paquay, Stefan; van der Schoot, Paul

2017-12-01

We report on a comprehensive computer simulation study of the liquid-crystal phase behaviour of purely repulsive, semi-flexible rod-like particles. For the four aspect ratios we consider, the particles form five distinct phases depending on their packing fraction and bending flexibility: the isotropic, nematic, smectic A, smectic B, and crystal phase. Upon increasing the particle bending flexibility, the various phase transitions shift to larger packing fractions. Increasing the aspect ratio achieves the opposite effect. We find two different ways in which the layer thickness of the particles in the smectic A phase may respond to an increase in concentration. The layer thickness may either decrease or increase depending on the aspect ratio and flexibility. For the smectic B and the crystalline phases, increasing the concentration always decreases the layer thickness. Finally, we find that the layer spacing jumps to a larger value on transitioning from the smectic A phase to the smectic B phase.

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

Electroweak phase transitions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anderson, G.W.

1991-01-01

An analytic treatment of the one Higgs doublet, electroweak phase transition is given. The phase transition is first order, occurs by the nucleation of thin walled bubbles and completes at a temperature where the order parameter, left-angle φ right-angle T is significantly smaller than it is when the origin becomes absolutely unstable. The rate of anomalous baryon number violation is an exponentially function of left-angle φ right-angle T . In very minimal extensions of the standard model it is quite easy to increase left-angle φ right-angle T so that anomalous baryon number violation is suppressed after completion of the phase transition. Hence baryogenesis at the electroweak phase transition is tenable in minimal of the standard model. In some cases additional phase transitions are possible. For a light Higgs boson, when the top quark mass is sufficiently large, the state where the Higgs field has a vacuum expectation value left-angle φ right-angle = 246 GeV is not the true minimum of the Higgs potential. When this is the case, and when the top quark mass exceeds some critical value, thermal fluctuations in the early universe would have rendered the state left-angle φ right-angle = 246 GeV unstable. The requirement that the state left-angle φ right-angle = 246 GeV is sufficiently long lived constrains the masses of the Higgs boson and the top quark. Finally, we consider whether local phase transitions can be induced by heavy particles which act as seeds for deformations in the scalar field

Significant Enhancement of the Chiral Correlation Length in Nematic Liquid Crystals by Gold Nanoparticle Surfaces Featuring Axially Chiral Binaphthyl Ligands.

Science.gov (United States)

Mori, Taizo; Sharma, Anshul; Hegmann, Torsten

2016-01-26

Chirality is a fundamental scientific concept best described by the absence of mirror symmetry and the inability to superimpose an object onto its mirror image by translation and rotation. Chirality is expressed at almost all molecular levels, from single molecules to supramolecular systems, and present virtually everywhere in nature. Here, to explore how chirality propagates from a chiral nanoscale surface, we study gold nanoparticles functionalized with axially chiral binaphthyl molecules. In particular, we synthesized three enantiomeric pairs of chiral ligand-capped gold nanoparticles differing in size, curvature, and ligand density to tune the chirality transfer from nanoscale solid surfaces to a bulk anisotropic liquid crystal medium. Ultimately, we are examining how far the chirality from a nanoparticle surface reaches into a bulk material. Circular dichroism spectra of the gold nanoparticles decorated with binaphthyl thiols confirmed that the binaphthyl moieties form a cisoid conformation in isotropic organic solvents. In the chiral nematic liquid crystal phase, induced by dispersing the gold nanoparticles into an achiral anisotropic nematic liquid crystal solvent, the binaphthyl moieties on the nanoparticle surface form a transoid conformation as determined by imaging the helical twist direction of the induced cholesteric phase. This suggests that the ligand density on the nanoscale metal surfaces provides a dynamic space to alter and adjust the helicity of binaphthyl derivatives in response to the ordering of the surrounding medium. The helical pitch values of the induced chiral nematic phase were determined, and the helical twisting power (HTP) of the chiral gold nanoparticles calculated to elucidate the chirality transfer efficiency of the binaphthyl ligand capped gold nanoparticles. Remarkably, the HTP increases with increasing diameter of the particles, that is, the efficiency of the chirality transfer of the binaphthyl units bound to the nanoparticle

Membrane fusion and inverted phases

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ellens, H.; Siegel, D.P.; Alford, D.; Yeagle, P.L.; Boni, L.; Lis, L.J.; Quinn, P.J.; Bentz, J.

1989-01-01

We have found a correlation between liposome fusion kinetics and lipid phase behavior for several inverted phase forming lipids. N-Methylated dioleoylphosphatidylethanolamine (DOPE-Me), or mixtures of dioleoylphosphatidylethanolamine (DOPE) and dioleoylphosphatidylcholine (DOPC), will form an inverted hexagonal phase (HII) at high temperatures (above TH), a lamellar phase (L alpha) at low temperatures, and an isotropic/inverted cubic phase at intermediate temperatures, which is defined by the appearance of narrow isotropic 31 P NMR resonances. The phase behavior has been verified by using high-sensitivity DSC, 31 P NMR, freeze-fracture electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction. The temperature range over which the narrow isotropic resonances occur is defined as delta TI, and the range ends at TH. Extruded liposomes (approximately 0.2 microns in diameter) composed of these lipids show fusion and leakage kinetics which are strongly correlated with the temperatures of these phase transitions. At temperatures below delta TI, where the lipid phase is L alpha, there is little or no fusion, i.e., mixing of aqueous contents, or leakage. However, as the temperature reaches delta TI, there is a rapid increase in both fusion and leakage rates. At temperatures above TH, the liposomes show aggregation-dependent lysis, as the rapid formation of HII phase precursors disrupts the membranes. We show that the correspondence between the fusion and leakage kinetics and the observed phase behavior is easily rationalized in terms of a recent kinetic theory of L alpha/inverted phase transitions. In particular, it is likely that membrane fusion and the L alpha/inverted cubic phase transition proceed via a common set of intermembrane intermediates

Martensitic phase transitions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Petry, W.; Neuhaus, J.

1996-01-01

Many elements transform from a high temperature bcc phase to a more dense packed temperature phase. The great majority of these transitions are of 1st order, displacive and reconstructive. The lattice potentials which govern these martensitic transitions can be probed by inelastic neutron scattering, thereby answering fundamental questions like : Will the transition be announced by dynamical or static fluctuations? What are the trajectories for the displacements needed for the transformation? Does the vibrational entropy stabilize the high temperature phase? Are the unusual transport properties in these materials related to their ability to transform? (author) 17 figs., 1 tab., 46 refs

Martensitic phase transitions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Petry, W; Neuhaus, J [Techn. Universitaet Muenchen, Physik Department E13, Munich (Germany)

1996-11-01

Many elements transform from a high temperature bcc phase to a more dense packed temperature phase. The great majority of these transitions are of 1st order, displacive and reconstructive. The lattice potentials which govern these martensitic transitions can be probed by inelastic neutron scattering, thereby answering fundamental questions like : Will the transition be announced by dynamical or static fluctuations? What are the trajectories for the displacements needed for the transformation? Does the vibrational entropy stabilize the high temperature phase? Are the unusual transport properties in these materials related to their ability to transform? (author) 17 figs., 1 tab., 46 refs.

Correlation functions in first-order phase transitions

Science.gov (United States)

Garrido, V.; Crespo, D.

1997-09-01

Most of the physical properties of systems underlying first-order phase transitions can be obtained from the spatial correlation functions. In this paper, we obtain expressions that allow us to calculate all the correlation functions from the droplet size distribution. Nucleation and growth kinetics is considered, and exact solutions are obtained for the case of isotropic growth by using self-similarity properties. The calculation is performed by using the particle size distribution obtained by a recently developed model (populational Kolmogorov-Johnson-Mehl-Avrami model). Since this model is less restrictive than that used in previously existing theories, the result is that the correlation functions can be obtained for any dependence of the kinetic parameters. The validity of the method is tested by comparison with the exact correlation functions, which had been obtained in the available cases by the time-cone method. Finally, the correlation functions corresponding to the microstructure developed in partitioning transformations are obtained.

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.

Phase transitions in nuclear physics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moretto, L.G.; Phair, L.; Wozniak, G.J.

1997-08-01

A critical overview of the low energy phase transitions in nuclei is presented with particular attention to the 2nd (1st) order pairing phase transitions, and to the 1st order liquid-vapor phase transition. The role of fluctuations in washing out these transitions is discussed and illustrated with examples. A robust indicator of phase coexistence in multifragmentation is presented.

Phase transitions in nuclear physics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moretto, L.G.; Phair, L.; Wozniak, G.J.

1997-08-01

A critical overview of the low energy phase transitions in nuclei is presented with particular attention to the 2nd (1st) order pairing phase transitions, and to the 1st order liquid-vapor phase transition. The role of fluctuations in washing out these transitions is discussed and illustrated with examples. A robust indicator of phase coexistence in multifragmentation is presented

Thermodynamics of phase transitions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cofta, H.

1972-01-01

The phenomenology of the phase transitions has been considered. The definitions of thermodynamic functions and parameters, as well as those of the phase transitions, are given and some of the relations between those quantities are discussed. The phase transitions classification proposed by Ehrenfest has been described. The most important features of phase transitions are discussed using the selected physical examples including the critical behaviour of ferromagnetic materials at the Curie temperature and antiferromagnetic materials at the Neel temperature. Some aspects of the Ehrenfest's equations, that have been derived, for the interfacial lines and surfaces are considered as well as the role the notion of interfaces. (S.B.)

Nematicity and Magnetism in FeSe and Other Families of Fe-Based Superconductors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Youichi Yamakawa

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Nematicity and magnetism are two key features in Fe-based superconductors, and their interplay is one of the most important unsolved problems. In FeSe, the magnetic order is absent below the structural transition temperature T_{str}=90  K, in stark contrast to the fact that the magnetism emerges slightly below T_{str} in other families. To understand such amazing material dependence, we investigate the spin-fluctuation-mediated orbital order (n_{xz}≠n_{yz} by focusing on the orbital-spin interplay driven by the strong-coupling effect, called the vertex correction. This orbital-spin interplay is very strong in FeSe because of the small ratio between the Hund’s and Coulomb interactions (J[over ¯]/U[over ¯] and large d_{xz}, d_{yz}-orbital weight at the Fermi level. For this reason, in the FeSe model, the orbital order is established irrespective of the fact that the spin fluctuations are very weak, so the magnetism is absent below T_{str}. In contrast, in the LaFeAsO model, the magnetic order appears just below T_{str} both experimentally and theoretically. Thus, the orbital-spin interplay due to the vertex correction is the key ingredient in understanding the rich phase diagram with nematicity and magnetism in Fe-based superconductors in a unified way.

Possible bicollinear nematic state with monoclinic lattice distortions in iron telluride compounds

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bishop, Christopher B. [Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States); Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Herbrych, Jacek W. [Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States); Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Dagotto, Elbio R. [Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States); Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Moreo, Adriana [Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States); Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

2017-07-15

Here, iron telluride (FeTe) is known to display bicollinear magnetic order at low temperatures together with a monoclinic lattice distortion. Because the bicollinear order can involve two different wave vectors (π/2,π/2) and (π/2,–π/2), symmetry considerations allow for the possible stabilization of a nematic state with short-range bicollinear order coupled to monoclinic lattice distortions at a T_S higher than the temperature T_N where long-range bicollinear order fully develops. As a concrete example, the three-orbital spin-fermion model for iron telluride is studied with an additional coupling ˜λ₁₂ between the monoclinic lattice strain and an orbital-nematic order parameter with B_2g symmetry. Monte Carlo simulations show that with increasing ˜λ₁₂ the first-order transition characteristic of FeTe splits and bicollinear nematicity is stabilized in a (narrow) temperature range. In this new regime, the lattice is monoclinically distorted and short-range spin and orbital order breaks rotational invariance. A discussion of possible realizations of this exotic state is provided.

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.

Phase transitions modern applications

CERN Document Server

Gitterman, Moshe

2014-01-01

This book provides a comprehensive review of the theory of phase transitions and its modern applications, based on the five pillars of the modern theory of phase transitions i.e. the Ising model, mean field, scaling, renormalization group and universality. This expanded second edition includes, along with a description of vortices and high temperature superconductivity, a discussion of phase transitions in chemical reaction and moving systems. The book covers a close connection between phase transitions and small world phenomena as well as scale-free systems such as the stock market and the Internet. Readership: Scientists working in different fields of physics, chemistry, biology and economics as well as teaching material for undergraduate and graduate courses.

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

Phase transitions in surfactant monolayers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Casson, B.D.

1998-01-01

Two-dimensional phase transitions have been studied in surfactant monolayers at the air/water interface by sum-frequency spectroscopy and ellipsometry. In equilibrium monolayers of medium-chain alcohols C n H 2n+1 OH (n = 9-14) a transition from a two-dimensional crystalline phase to a liquid was observed at temperatures above the bulk melting point. The small population of gauche defects in the solid phase increased only slightly at the phase transition. A model of the hydrocarbon chains as freely rotating rigid rods allowed the area per molecule and chain tilt in the liquid phase to be determined. The area per molecule, chain tilt and density of the liquid phase all increased with increasing chain length, but for each chain length the density was higher than in a bulk liquid hydrocarbon. In a monolayer of decanol adsorbed at the air/water interface a transition from a two-dimensional liquid to a gas was observed. A clear discontinuity in the coefficient of ellipticity as a function of temperature showed that the transition is first-order. This result suggests that liquid-gas phase transitions in surfactant monolayers may be more widespread than once thought. A solid-liquid phase transition has also been studied in mixed monolayers of dodecanol with an anionic surfactant (sodium dodecyl sulphate) and with a homologous series of cationic surfactants (alkyltrimethylammonium bromides: C n TABs, n = 12, 14, 16). The composition and structure of the mixed monolayers was studied above and below the phase transition. At low temperatures the mixed monolayers were as densely packed as a monolayer of pure dodecanol in its solid phase. At a fixed temperature the monolayers under-went a first-order phase transition to form a phase that was less dense and more conformationally disordered. The proportion of ionic surfactant in the mixed monolayer was greatest in the high temperature phase. As the chain length of the C n TAB increased the number of conformational defects

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.

Li-ion batteries: Phase transition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hou Peiyu; Zhang Yantao; Zhang Lianqi; Chu Geng; Gao Jian

2016-01-01

Progress in the research on phase transitions during Li + extraction/insertion processes in typical battery materials is summarized as examples to illustrate the significance of understanding phase transition phenomena in Li-ion batteries. Physical phenomena such as phase transitions (and resultant phase diagrams) are often observed in Li-ion battery research and already play an important role in promoting Li-ion battery technology. For example, the phase transitions during Li + insertion/extraction are highly relevant to the thermodynamics and kinetics of Li-ion batteries, and even physical characteristics such as specific energy, power density, volume variation, and safety-related properties. (topical review)

Symmetry and Phase Transitions in Nuclei

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iachello, F.

2009-01-01

Phase transitions in nuclei have received considerable attention in recent years, especially after the discovery that, contrary to expectations, systems at the critical point of a phase transition display a simple structure. In this talk, quantum phase transitions (QPT), i.e. phase transitions that occur as a function of a coupling constant that appears in the quantum Hamiltonian, H, describing the system, will be reviewed and experimental evidence for their occurrence in nuclei will be presented. The phase transitions discussed in the talk will be shape phase transitions. Different shapes have different symmetries, classified by the dynamic symmetries of the Interacting Boson Model, U(5), SU(3) and SO(6). Very recently, the concept of Quantum Phase Transitions has been extended to Excited State Quantum Phase Transitions (ESQPT). This extension will be discussed and some evidence for incipient ESQPT in nuclei will be presented. Systems at the critical point of a phase transition are called 'critical systems'. Approximate analytic formulas for energy spectra and other properties of 'critical nuclei', in particular for nuclei at the critical point of the second order U(5)-SO(6) transition, called E(5), and along the line of first order U(5)-SU(3) transitions, called X(5), will be presented. Experimental evidence for 'critical nuclei' will be also shown. Finally, the microscopic derivation of shape phase transitions in nuclei within the framework of density functional methods will be briefly discussed.(author)

Non-equilibrium phase transitions

CERN Document Server

Henkel, Malte; Lübeck, Sven

2009-01-01

This book describes two main classes of non-equilibrium phase-transitions: (a) static and dynamics of transitions into an absorbing state, and (b) dynamical scaling in far-from-equilibrium relaxation behaviour and ageing. The first volume begins with an introductory chapter which recalls the main concepts of phase-transitions, set for the convenience of the reader in an equilibrium context. The extension to non-equilibrium systems is made by using directed percolation as the main paradigm of absorbing phase transitions and in view of the richness of the known results an entire chapter is devoted to it, including a discussion of recent experimental results. Scaling theories and a large set of both numerical and analytical methods for the study of non-equilibrium phase transitions are thoroughly discussed. The techniques used for directed percolation are then extended to other universality classes and many important results on model parameters are provided for easy reference.

Photo-orientation at liquid crystal–polymer interfaces

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

affected by the phase of the liquid crystal covering the polymer. Photo-orientation is significantly more efficient when the liquid crystal is in the isotropic phase than when it exhibits orientational order. The observations are interpreted by assuming that in the smectic and nematic phases the liquid crystal stabilises to a large ...

Molecular theory of chromatography for blocklike solutes in isotropic stationary phases and its application to supercritical fluid chromatographic retention of PAHs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chao Yan; Martire, D.E.

1992-01-01

This report discusses a molecular theory of chromatography for blocklike solutes in isotropic stationary phases as an extension to the anisotopic phase approach. Its it applied to gas, liquid, and supercritical fluid chromatography

Phase transition in finite systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chomaz, Ph.; Duflot, V.; Duflot, V.; Gulminelli, F.

2000-01-01

In this paper we present a review of selected aspects of Phase transitions in finite systems applied in particular to the liquid-gas phase transition in nuclei. We show that the problem of the non existence of boundary conditions can be solved by introducing a statistical ensemble with an averaged constrained volume. In such an ensemble the microcanonical heat capacity becomes negative in the transition region. We show that the caloric curve explicitly depends on the considered transformation of the volume with the excitation energy and so does not bear direct informations on the characteristics of the phase transition. Conversely, partial energy fluctuations are demonstrated to be a direct measure of the equation of state. Since the heat capacity has a negative branch in the phase transition region, the presence of abnormally large kinetic energy fluctuations is a signal of the liquid gas phase transition. (author)

Computer simulation studies of anisotropic systems. XXXII. Field-induction of a smectic A phase in a Gay-Berne mesogen

Science.gov (United States)

Luckhurst, G. R.; Saielli, G.

2000-03-01

Molecular field theory predicts the induction of a smectic A phase by the application of a field, either magnetic or electric, to a nematic phase. This intriguing behavior results from an enhancement of the orientational order which is coupled to the translational order and so shifts the smectic A-nematic transition. To test this prediction we have investigated a system of Gay-Berne mesogenic molecules subject to an applied field of second rank using isothermal-isobaric Monte Carlo simulations. The results of our calculations are compared with the Kventsel-Luckhurst-Zewdie molecular field theory of smectogens, modified to include the effect of an external field. We have also used the simulations to explore the possibility of inducing more ordered smectic phases with stronger fields.

Kerr effect in the isotropic phase of a side-chain polymeric liquid crystal

Science.gov (United States)

Reys, V.; Dormoy, Y.; Collin, D.; Keller, P.; Martinoty, P.

1992-02-01

The birefringence induced by a pulsed electrical field was used to study the pretransitional effects associated with the isotropic phase of a side-chain polysiloxane. The results obtained show that these effects are characterised by a conventional value of the static exponent and an abnormal value of the dynamic exponent, which shows that the dynamic theory of low molecular weight liquid crystals does not apply. The results also reveal competition between the dipolar moments induced by the electrical field and the permanent moments of the mesogenic molecules. La biréfringence induite par un champ électrique impulsionnel a été utilisée pour étudier les effets prétransitionnels associés à la phase isotrope d'un polysiloxane à chaînes latérales. Les résultats obtenus montrent que ces effets sont caractérisés par une valeur classique de l'exposant statique et une valeur anormale de l'exposant dynamique. Ce dernier résultat montre que la théorie dynamique des cristaux liquides de bas poids moléculaire n'est pas applicable au cas présent. Les expériences mettent également en évidence une compétition entre les moments dipolaires induits par le champ électrique et les moments permanents des molécules mésogènes.

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.

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.

Stochastic kinetics reveal imperative role of anisotropic interfacial tension to determine morphology and evolution of nucleated droplets in nematogenic films

Science.gov (United States)

Bhattacharjee, Amit Kumar

2017-01-01

For isotropic fluids, classical nucleation theory predicts the nucleation rate, barrier height and critical droplet size by ac- counting for the competition between bulk energy and interfacial tension. The nucleation process in liquid crystals is less understood. We numerically investigate nucleation in monolayered nematogenic films using a mesoscopic framework, in par- ticular, we study the morphology and kinetic pathway in spontaneous formation and growth of droplets of the stable phase in the metastable background. The parameter κ that quantifies the anisotropic elastic energy plays a central role in determining the geometric structure of the droplets. Noncircular nematic droplets with homogeneous director orientation are nucleated in a background of supercooled isotropic phase for small κ. For large κ, noncircular droplets with integer topological charge, accompanied by a biaxial ring at the outer surface, are nucleated. The isotropic droplet shape in a superheated nematic background is found to depend on κ in a similar way. Identical growth laws are found in the two cases, although an unusual two-stage mechanism is observed in the nucleation of isotropic droplets. Temporal distributions of successive events indi- cate the relevance of long-ranged elasticity-mediated interactions within the isotropic domains. Implications for a theoretical description of nucleation in anisotropic fluids are discussed.

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...

The nuclear liquid gas phase transition and phase coexistence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chomaz, Ph.

2001-01-01

In this talk we will review the different signals of liquid gas phase transition in nuclei. From the theoretical side we will first discuss the foundations of the concept of equilibrium, phase transition and critical behaviors in infinite and finite systems. From the experimental point of view we will first recall the evidences for some strong modification of the behavior of hot nuclei. Then we will review quantitative detailed analysis aiming to evidence phase transition, to define its order and phase diagram. Finally, we will present a critical discussion of the present status of phase transitions in nuclei and we will draw some lines for future development of this field. (author)

The nuclear liquid gas phase transition and phase coexistence

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chomaz, Ph

2001-07-01

In this talk we will review the different signals of liquid gas phase transition in nuclei. From the theoretical side we will first discuss the foundations of the concept of equilibrium, phase transition and critical behaviors in infinite and finite systems. From the experimental point of view we will first recall the evidences for some strong modification of the behavior of hot nuclei. Then we will review quantitative detailed analysis aiming to evidence phase transition, to define its order and phase diagram. Finally, we will present a critical discussion of the present status of phase transitions in nuclei and we will draw some lines for future development of this field. (author)

Magnetic resonance of phase transitions

CERN Document Server

Owens, Frank J; Farach, Horacio A

1979-01-01

Magnetic Resonance of Phase Transitions shows how the effects of phase transitions are manifested in the magnetic resonance data. The book discusses the basic concepts of structural phase and magnetic resonance; various types of magnetic resonances and their underlying principles; and the radiofrequency methods of nuclear magnetic resonance. The text also describes quadrupole methods; the microwave technique of electron spin resonance; and the Mössbauer effect. Phase transitions in various systems such as fluids, liquid crystals, and crystals, including paramagnets and ferroelectrics, are also

Chain Stretching and Order-Disorder Transitions in Block Copolymer Monolayers and Multilayers

Science.gov (United States)

Kramer, Edward J.; Mishra, Vindhya; Stein, Gila E.; Sohn, Karen E.; Hur, Sumi; Fredrickson, Glenn H.; Cochran, Eric W.

2009-03-01

Both monolayers of block copolymer cylinders and spheres undergo order to disorder transitions (ODT) at temperatures well below those of the bulk. Monolayers of PS-b-P2VP cylinders undergo a ``nematic'' to ``isotropic'' transition at temperatures about 20 K below the bulk ODT while monolayers of PS-b-P2VP with P2VP spheres undergo a 2D crystal to hexatic transition at least 10 K below the bulk ODT. Bilayers of each structure disorder at temperatures well above that of the monolayers. While one is tempted to attribute all of the difference to the fact that ordered monolayers are quasi 2 dimensional while bilayers are not, an alternative explanation exists. In the cylinder monolayer the corona PS chains must stretch to fill a nearly square cross-section domain rather than a hexagonal one in the bulk, while the corona PS chains in a sphere monolayer must stretch to fill a hexagonal prism rather than an octahedron in the bulk. The more non-uniform stretching of the chains in the monolayer should increase its free energy and decrease its order-disorder temperature.

The influence of nanoparticles on the phase and structural ordering for nematic liquid crystals

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kralj, S; Bradac, Z [Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, University of Maribor, Koroska 160, 2000 Maribor (Slovenia); Popa-Nita, V [Faculty of Physics, University of Bucharest, PO Box MG-11, Bucharest 077125 (Romania)], E-mail: samo.kralj@uni-mb.si

2008-06-18

We study the influence of nanoparticles (NPs) on liquid crystal (LC) ordering. As regards the structural ordering we consider NPs as a source of a quenched random field. Roughly such a situation is encountered in mixtures of LCs and aerosil NPs (aerosil NPs are spherular ones). Using the semi-microscopic lattice model and Brownian molecular simulation we show that after a quench from the isotropic phase a quasi-stable domain pattern forms. The characteristic size of an average domain is inversely proportional to the concentration of NPs, and domain patterns exhibit memory effects. In the study of the phase behaviour we limit consideration to NPs resembling LC molecules. A Landau-type free energy expression is derived for the mixture, originating from the Maier-Saupe molecular approach. We show that the resulting phase behaviour exhibits the slave-master behaviour as the temperature or pressure is varied.

Electric transport of a single-crystal iron chalcogenide FeSe superconductor: Evidence of symmetry-breakdown nematicity and additional ultrafast Dirac cone-like carriers

Science.gov (United States)

Huynh, K. K.; Tanabe, Y.; Urata, T.; Oguro, H.; Heguri, S.; Watanabe, K.; Tanigaki, K.

2014-10-01

An SDW antiferromagnetic (SDW-AF) low-temperature phase transition is generally observed and the AF spin fluctuations are considered to play an important role for the superconductivity pairing mechanism in FeAs superconductors. However, a similar magnetic phase transition is not observed in FeSe superconductors, which has caused considerable discussion. We report on the intrinsic electronic states of FeSe as elucidated by electric transport measurements under magnetic fields using a high quality single crystal. A mobility spectrum analysis, an ab initio method that does not make assumptions on the transport parameters in a multicarrier system, provides very important and clear evidence that another hidden order, most likely the symmetry broken from the tetragonal C4 symmetry to the C2 symmetry nematicity associated with the selective d -orbital splitting, exists in the case of superconducting FeSe other than the AF magnetic order spin fluctuations. The intrinsic low-temperature phase in FeSe is in the almost compensated semimetallic states but is additionally accompanied by Dirac cone-like ultrafast electrons ˜104cm2(VS) -1 as minority carriers.

Banana-shaped molecules derived from substituted isophthalic acids

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Different precursors inducing the bending angle of the banana-shaped molecules. Figure 2. ... Pramana – J. Phys., Vol. 61, No. 2, August ... isotropic liquid; N: nematic; SmA: smectic A; SmC: smectic C. For other phase assign- ments, see text.

Thermo- and electro-optical properties of photonic liquid crystal fibers doped with gold nanoparticles.

Science.gov (United States)

Siarkowska, Agata; Chychłowski, Miłosz; Budaszewski, Daniel; Jankiewicz, Bartłomiej; Bartosewicz, Bartosz; Woliński, Tomasz R

2017-01-01

Thermo- and electro-optical properties of a photonic liquid crystal fiber (PLCF) enhanced by the use of dopants have been investigated. A 6CHBT nematic liquid crystal was doped with four different concentrations of gold nanoparticles (NPs), 0.1, 0.3, 0.5 and 1.0 wt %, for direct comparison of the influence of the dopant on the properties of the PLCF. The thermo-optical effects of the liquid crystal doped with gold NPs were compared in three setups, an LC cell, a microcapillary and within the PLCF, to determine if the observed responses to external factors are caused by the properties of the infiltration material or due to the setup configuration. The results obtained indicated that with increasing NP doping a significant reduction of the rise time under an external electric field occurs with a simultaneous decrease in the nematic-isotropic phase transition temperature, thus improving the thermo- and electro-optical properties of the PLCF.

Shape and Symmetry Determine Two-Dimensional Melting Transitions of Hard Regular Polygons

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joshua A. Anderson

2017-04-01

Full Text Available The melting transition of two-dimensional systems is a fundamental problem in condensed matter and statistical physics that has advanced significantly through the application of computational resources and algorithms. Two-dimensional systems present the opportunity for novel phases and phase transition scenarios not observed in 3D systems, but these phases depend sensitively on the system and, thus, predicting how any given 2D system will behave remains a challenge. Here, we report a comprehensive simulation study of the phase behavior near the melting transition of all hard regular polygons with 3≤n≤14 vertices using massively parallel Monte Carlo simulations of up to 1×10^{6} particles. By investigating this family of shapes, we show that the melting transition depends upon both particle shape and symmetry considerations, which together can predict which of three different melting scenarios will occur for a given n. We show that systems of polygons with as few as seven edges behave like hard disks; they melt continuously from a solid to a hexatic fluid and then undergo a first-order transition from the hexatic phase to the isotropic fluid phase. We show that this behavior, which holds for all 7≤n≤14, arises from weak entropic forces among the particles. Strong directional entropic forces align polygons with fewer than seven edges and impose local order in the fluid. These forces can enhance or suppress the discontinuous character of the transition depending on whether the local order in the fluid is compatible with the local order in the solid. As a result, systems of triangles, squares, and hexagons exhibit a Kosterlitz-Thouless-Halperin-Nelson-Young (KTHNY predicted continuous transition between isotropic fluid and triatic, tetratic, and hexatic phases, respectively, and a continuous transition from the appropriate x-atic to the solid. In particular, we find that systems of hexagons display continuous two-step KTHNY melting. In

UV response on dielectric properties of nano nematic liquid crystal

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

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

Dynamics and Thermodynamics of Artificial Muscles Based on Nematic Gels

Science.gov (United States)

Hébert, M.; Kant, R.; de Gennes, P.-G.

1997-07-01

A scheme based on nemato-mechanical conversion has been proposed for potential artificial muscle applications (de Gennes P.-G., Hébert M. and Kant R., to appear in Macromol. Symp. (1996)). As the temperature in a nematic gel is reduced through the transition temperature, strong uniaxial deformation is encountered. We briefly expose the dynamics of contraction/elongation in this system. Work and dissipative losses are calculated for an operating cycle to get an approximative expression of the ratio work/losses, which can then be compared with real muscular efficiencies.

Electronic phase transitions

CERN Document Server

Kopaev, YuV

1992-01-01

Electronic Phase Transitions deals with topics, which are presently at the forefront of scientific research in modern solid-state theory. Anderson localization, which has fundamental implications in many areas of solid-state physics as well as spin glasses, with its influence on quite different research activities such as neural networks, are two examples that are reviewed in this book. The ab initio statistical mechanics of structural phase transitions is another prime example, where the interplay and connection of two unrelated disciplines of solid-state theory - first principle ele

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.

Fast isotropic banding-free bSSFP imaging using 3D dynamically phase-cycled radial bSSFP (3D DYPR-SSFP)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Benkert, Thomas; Blaimer, Martin; Breuer, Felix A. [Research Center Magnetic Resonance Bavaria (MRB), Wuerzburg (Germany); Ehses, Philipp [Tuebingen Univ. (Germany). Dept. of Neuroimaging; Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tuebingen (Germany). High-Field MR Center; Jakob, Peter M. [Research Center Magnetic Resonance Bavaria (MRB), Wuerzburg (Germany); Wuerzburg Univ. (Germany). Dept. of Experimental Physics 5

2016-05-01

Aims: Dynamically phase-cycled radial balanced steady-state free precession (DYPR-SSFP) is a method for efficient banding artifact removal in bSSFP imaging. Based on a varying radiofrequency (RF) phase-increment in combination with a radial trajectory, DYPR-SSFP allows obtaining a banding-free image out of a single acquired k-space. The purpose of this work is to present an extension of this technique, enabling fast three-dimensional isotropic banding-free bSSFP imaging. Methods: While banding artifact removal with DYPR-SSFP relies on the applied dynamic phase-cycle, this aspect can lead to artifacts, at least when the number of acquired projections lies below a certain limit. However, by using a 3D radial trajectory with quasi-random view ordering for image acquisition, this problem is intrinsically solved, enabling 3D DYPR-SSFP imaging at or even below the Nyquist criterion. The approach is validated for brain and knee imaging at 3 Tesla. Results: Volumetric, banding-free images were obtained in clinically acceptable scan times with an isotropic resolution up to 0.56 mm. Conclusion: The combination of DYPR-SSFP with a 3D radial trajectory allows banding-free isotropic volumetric bSSFP imaging with no expense of scan time. Therefore, this is a promising candidate for clinical applications such as imaging of cranial nerves or articular cartilage.

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.

Unconventional phase transitions in liquid crystals

Science.gov (United States)

Kats, E. I.

2017-12-01

According to classical textbooks on thermodynamics or statistical physics, there are only two types of phase transitions: continuous, or second-order, in which the latent heat L is zero, and first-order, in which L ≠ 0. Present-day textbooks and monographs also mention another, stand-alone type—the Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless transition, which exists only in two dimensions and shares some features with first- and second-order phase transitions. We discuss examples of non-conventional thermodynamic behavior (i.e., which is inconsistent with the theoretical phase transition paradigm now universally accepted). For phase transitions in smectic liquid crystals, mechanisms for nonconventional behavior are proposed and the predictions they imply are examined.

Nanocompositional Electron Microscopic Analysis and Role of Grain Boundary Phase of Isotropically Oriented Nd-Fe-B Magnets

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gregor A. Zickler

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Nanoanalytical TEM characterization in combination with finite element micromagnetic modelling clarifies the impact of the grain misalignment and grain boundary nanocomposition on the coercive field and gives guidelines how to improve coercivity in Nd-Fe-B based magnets. The nanoprobe electron energy loss spectroscopy measurements obtained an asymmetric composition profile of the Fe-content across the grain boundary phase in isotropically oriented melt-spun magnets and showed an enrichment of iron up to 60 at% in the Nd-containing grain boundaries close to Nd2Fe14B grain surfaces parallel to the c-axis and a reduced iron content up to 35% close to grain surfaces perpendicular to the c-axis. The numerical micromagnetic simulations on isotropically oriented magnets using realistic model structures from the TEM results reveal a complex magnetization reversal starting at the grain boundary phase and show that the coercive field increases compared to directly coupled grains with no grain boundary phase independently of the grain boundary thickness. This behaviour is contrary to the one in aligned anisotropic magnets, where the coercive field decreases compared to directly coupled grains with an increasing grain boundary thickness, if Js value is > 0.2 T, and the magnetization reversal and expansion of reversed magnetic domains primarily start as Bloch domain wall at grain boundaries at the prismatic planes parallel to the c-axis and secondly as Néel domain wall at the basal planes perpendicular to the c-axis. In summary our study shows an increase of coercive field in isotropically oriented Nd-Fe-B magnets for GB layer thickness > 5 nm and an average Js value of the GB layer < 0.8 T compared to the magnet with perfectly aligned grains.

Superfluid H3e in globally isotropic random media

Science.gov (United States)

Ikeda, Ryusuke; Aoyama, Kazushi

2009-02-01

Recent theoretical and experimental studies of superfluid H3e in aerogels with a global anisotropy created, e.g., by an external stress have definitely shown that the A -like phase with an equal-spin pairing in such aerogel samples is in the Anderson-Brinkman-Morel (ABM) (or axial) pairing state. In this paper, the A -like phase of superfluid H3e in globally isotropic aerogel is studied in detail by assuming a weakly disordered system in which singular topological defects are absent. Through calculation of the free energy, a disordered ABM state is found to be the best candidate of the pairing state of the globally isotropic A -like phase. Further, it is found through a one-loop renormalization-group calculation that the coreless continuous vortices (or vortex-Skyrmions) are irrelevant to the long-distance behavior of disorder-induced textures, and that the superfluidity is maintained in spite of lack of the conventional superfluid long-range order. Therefore, the globally isotropic A -like phase at weak disorder is, like in the case with a globally stretched anisotropy, a glass phase with the ABM pairing and shows superfluidity.

Structural phase transitions and Huang scattering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamada, Yasusada

1980-01-01

The usefulness of the application of the concept of Huang scattering to the understandings of the origin of diffuse scatterings near structural phase transitions are discussed. It is pointed out that in several phase transitions, the observed diffuse scatterings can not be interpreted in terms of critical fluctuations of the order parameters associated with the structural phase transitions, and that they are rather interpreted as Huang scattering due to random distribution of individual order parameter which is 'dressed' by strain fields. Examples to show effective applications of this concept to analyze the experimental X-ray data and whence to understand microscopic mechanisms of structural phase transitions are presented. (author)

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 Landau-de Gennes theory of nematic liquid crystals: Uniaxiality versus Biaxiality

KAUST Repository

Majumdar, Apala

2011-12-01

We study small energy solutions within the Landau-de Gennes theory for nematic liquid crystals, subject to Dirichlet boundary conditions. We consider two-dimensional and three-dimensional domains separately. In the two-dimensional case, we establish the equivalence of the Landau-de Gennes and Ginzburg-Landau theory. In the three-dimensional case, we give a new definition of the defect set based on the normalized energy. In the threedimensional uniaxial case, we demonstrate the equivalence between the defect set and the isotropic set and prove the C 1,α-convergence of uniaxial small energy solutions to a limiting harmonic map, away from the defect set, for some 0 < a < 1, in the vanishing core limit. Generalizations for biaxial small energy solutions are also discussed, which include physically relevant estimates for the solution and its scalar order parameters. This work is motivated by the study of defects in liquid crystalline systems and their applications.

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

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.

Modern theories of phase transitions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rajaraman, R.

1979-01-01

Modern applications of the ideas of phase transitions to nuclear systems and the modern techniques as applied to familiar phase transitions in solid-state physics are discussed with illustrations. The phenomenon of pion condensation in nuclei and neutron stars, is presented as an example of phase transitions in nuclear systems. The central physical ideas behind this subject as well as techniques used to tackle it are broadly summarised. It is pointed out that unlike familiar examples of ferromagnetism or superconductivity, the order parameter here has spatial variation even in the ground state. Possible experimental consequences are discussed. As an example of the second category, the use of renormalisation group techniques in solid state physics is reviewed. The basic idea behind the renormalisation group in the infra-red (thermodynamic) limit is presented. The observed universality and scaling of critical exponents in second order phase transitions is explained in a model-independent way. (auth.)

Phase transitions of amorphous solid acetone in confined geometry investigated by reflection absorption infrared spectroscopy.

Science.gov (United States)

Shin, Sunghwan; Kang, Hani; Kim, Jun Soo; Kang, Heon

2014-11-26

We investigated the phase transformations of amorphous solid acetone under confined geometry by preparing acetone films trapped in amorphous solid water (ASW) or CCl4. Reflection absorption infrared spectroscopy (RAIRS) and temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) were used to monitor the phase changes of the acetone sample with increasing temperature. An acetone film trapped in ASW shows an abrupt change in the RAIRS features of the acetone vibrational bands during heating from 80 to 100 K, which indicates the transformation of amorphous solid acetone to a molecularly aligned crystalline phase. Further heating of the sample to 140 K produces an isotropic solid phase, and eventually a fluid phase near 157 K, at which the acetone sample is probably trapped in a pressurized, superheated condition inside the ASW matrix. Inside a CCl4 matrix, amorphous solid acetone crystallizes into a different, isotropic structure at ca. 90 K. We propose that the molecularly aligned crystalline phase formed in ASW is created by heterogeneous nucleation at the acetone-water interface, with resultant crystal growth, whereas the isotropic crystalline phase in CCl4 is formed by homogeneous crystal growth starting from the bulk region of the acetone sample.

Phased array compaction cell for measurement of the transversely isotropic elastic properties of compacting sediments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nihei, K.T.; Nakagawa, S.; Reverdy, F.; Meyer, L.R.; Duranti, L.; Ball, G.

2010-12-15

Sediments undergoing compaction typically exhibit transversely isotropic (TI) elastic properties. We present a new experimental apparatus, the phased array compaction cell, for measuring the TI elastic properties of clay-rich sediments during compaction. This apparatus uses matched sets of P- and S-wave ultrasonic transducers located along the sides of the sample and an ultrasonic P-wave phased array source, together with a miniature P-wave receiver on the top and bottom ends of the sample. The phased array measurements are used to form plane P-waves that provide estimates of the phase velocities over a range of angles. From these measurements, the five TI elastic constants can be recovered as the sediment is compacted, without the need for sample unloading, recoring, or reorienting. This paper provides descriptions of the apparatus, the data processing, and an application demonstrating recovery of the evolving TI properties of a compacting marine sediment sample.

High-temperature phase transitions and domain structures of KLiSO{sub 4}. Studied by polarisation-optics, X-ray topography and liquid-crystal surface decoration

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Scherf, Christian; Chung, Su Jin; Hahn, Theo; Klapper, Helmut [RWTH Aachen Univ. (Germany). Inst. fuer Kristallographie; Ivanov, Nicolay R. [Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow (Russian Federation). Shubnikov Inst. of Crystallography

2017-07-01

The transitions between the room temperature phase III (space group P6{sub 3}) and the two high-temperature phases II (Pcmn) and I (P6{sub 3}/mmc) of KLiSO{sub 4} and the domain structures generated by them were investigated by high-temperature polarisation optics (birefringence) and room-temperature X-ray topography, optical activity and nematic-liquid-crystal (NLC) surface decoration. The transition from the polar hexagonal phase III into the centrosymmetric orthorhombic phase II at 708 K leads, due to the loss of the trigonal axis and the radial temperature gradient of the optical heating chamber used, to a roughly hexagonal arrangement of three sets of thin orthorhombic {110} lamelleae with angles of 60 (120 ) between them. The associated twin law ''reflection m{110}{sub orth}'' corresponds to the frequent growth twin m{10 anti 10}{sub hex} of phase III. The domains are easily ferroelastically switched. Upon further heating above 949 K into phase I (P6{sub 3}/mmc) all domains vanish. Upon cooling back into phase II the three domain states related by 60 (120 ) reflections m{110}{sub orth} re-appear, however (due to the higher thermal agitation at 949 K) with a completely different domain structure consisting of many small, irregularly arranged {110}{sub orth} domains. Particular attention is paid to the domain structure of the hexagonal room temperature phase III generated during the re-transition from the orthorhombic phase II. Curiously, from the expected three twin laws inversion anti 1, rotation 2 perpendicular to [001]{sub hex} and reflection m{10 anti 10}{sub hex} only the latter, which corresponds to the frequent growth twinning, has been found. Finally a short treatise of the structural relations of the KLiSO{sub 4} high-temperature polymorphs is given.

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)

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 ...

Feasibility of self-gated isotropic radial late-phase MR imaging of the liver

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Weiss, Jakob; Taron, Jana; Othman, Ahmed E.; Kuendel, Matthias; Martirosian, Petros; Ruff, Christer; Schraml, Christina; Nikolaou, Konstantin; Notohamiprodjo, Mike [Eberhard Karls University Tuebingen, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Tuebingen (Germany); Grimm, Robert [Siemens Healthcare MR, Erlangen (Germany)

2017-03-15

To evaluate feasibility of a 3D-isotropic self-gated radial volumetric interpolated breath-hold examination (VIBE) for late-phase MRI of the liver. 70 patients were included and underwent liver MRI at 1.5 T. Depending on the diagnosis, either Gd-EOB-DTPA (35 patients) or gadobutrol (35 patients) were administered. During late (gadobutrol) or hepatocyte-specific phase (Gd-EOB-DTPA), a radial prototype sequence was acquired and reconstructed using (1) self-gating with 40 % acceptance (rVIBE{sub 40}); (2) with 100 % acceptance of the data (rVIBE{sub 100}) and compared to Cartesian VIBE (cVIBE). Images were assessed qualitatively (image quality, lesion conspicuity, artefacts; 5-point Likert-scale: 5 = excellent; two independent readers) and quantitatively (coefficient-of-variation (CV); contrast-ratio) in axial and coronal reformations. In eight cases only rVIBE provided diagnostic image quality. Image quality of rVIBE{sub 40} was rated significantly superior (p < 0.05) in Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced and coronal reformatted examinations as compared to cVIBE. Lesion conspicuity was significantly improved (p < 0.05) in coronal reformatted Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced rVIBE{sub 40} in comparison to cVIBE. CV was higher in rVIBE{sub 40} as compared to rVIBE{sub 100}/cVIBE (p < 0.01). Gadobutrol-enhanced rVIBE{sub 40} and cVIBE showed higher contrast-ratios than rVIBE{sub 100} (p < 0.001), whereas no differences were found in Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced examinations. Self-gated 3D-isotropic rVIBE provides significantly superior image quality compared to cVIBE, especially in multiplanar reformatted and Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced examinations. (orig.)

Feasibility of self-gated isotropic radial late-phase MR imaging of the liver

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weiss, Jakob; Taron, Jana; Othman, Ahmed E.; Kuendel, Matthias; Martirosian, Petros; Ruff, Christer; Schraml, Christina; Nikolaou, Konstantin; Notohamiprodjo, Mike; Grimm, Robert

2017-01-01

To evaluate feasibility of a 3D-isotropic self-gated radial volumetric interpolated breath-hold examination (VIBE) for late-phase MRI of the liver. 70 patients were included and underwent liver MRI at 1.5 T. Depending on the diagnosis, either Gd-EOB-DTPA (35 patients) or gadobutrol (35 patients) were administered. During late (gadobutrol) or hepatocyte-specific phase (Gd-EOB-DTPA), a radial prototype sequence was acquired and reconstructed using (1) self-gating with 40 % acceptance (rVIBE_4_0); (2) with 100 % acceptance of the data (rVIBE_1_0_0) and compared to Cartesian VIBE (cVIBE). Images were assessed qualitatively (image quality, lesion conspicuity, artefacts; 5-point Likert-scale: 5 = excellent; two independent readers) and quantitatively (coefficient-of-variation (CV); contrast-ratio) in axial and coronal reformations. In eight cases only rVIBE provided diagnostic image quality. Image quality of rVIBE_4_0 was rated significantly superior (p < 0.05) in Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced and coronal reformatted examinations as compared to cVIBE. Lesion conspicuity was significantly improved (p < 0.05) in coronal reformatted Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced rVIBE_4_0 in comparison to cVIBE. CV was higher in rVIBE_4_0 as compared to rVIBE_1_0_0/cVIBE (p < 0.01). Gadobutrol-enhanced rVIBE_4_0 and cVIBE showed higher contrast-ratios than rVIBE_1_0_0 (p < 0.001), whereas no differences were found in Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced examinations. Self-gated 3D-isotropic rVIBE provides significantly superior image quality compared to cVIBE, especially in multiplanar reformatted and Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced examinations. (orig.)

Simulating the Seismic Signal of Phase Transitions in the Deepest Mantle (Invited)

Science.gov (United States)

Walker, A.; Dobson, D. P.; Nowacki, A.; Wookey, J. M.; Forte, A. M.; Kendall, J. M.

2013-12-01

The discovery of the perovskite to post-perovskite phase transition in (Mg,Fe)SiO3 explains many of the seismic observations of the lowermost mantle including the presence of multiple seismic discontinuities and significant seismic anisotropy. However, the explanations of many detailed features remain elusive. The recent discovery of a topotactic relationship between the orientation of perovskite and post-perovskite crystals in a partially transformed analogue opens the possibility of texture inheritance through the phase transition [1]. This must be captured in simulations designed to explain the anisotropy of the lowermost mantle, especially those which link mantle dynamics with seismic observations. We have extended our previous work linking models of flow in the lowermost mantle with simulations of texture development and predictions of seismic anisotropy [2] to account for the topotaxy between perovskite and post-perovskite. In particular, we compare four cases: (1) As in [2], anisotropy is only generated in post-perovskite by dislocation mediated deformation dominated by one of a number of slip systems, phase transitions destroy texture and ferropericlase and perovskite dominated rocks are isotropic. (2) Although phase transitions destroy texture, ferropericlase and/or perovskite deform by dislocation motion permitting the generation of seismic anisotropy in warmer regions of the mantle where post-perovskite is unstable. We account for the possibility of the inversion of slip-system activities in ferropericlase at high pressure as suggested by models of dislocation motion based on atomic scale simulations [3]. (3) Allow texture development by dislocation motion in perovskite and post-perovskite and texture inheritance through phase transitions by the mechanism described in [1]. However, we assume that the bulk of the lower mantle deforms by a mechanism that does not lead to the development of texture and so begin the simulation from a random distribution of

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.

Dynamics of a quantum phase transition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zurek, W.H.

2005-01-01

We present two approaches to the non-equilibrium dynamics of a quench-induced phase transition in quantum Ising model. First approach retraces steps of the standard calculation to thermodynamic second order phase transitions in the quantum setting. The second calculation is purely quantum, based on the Landau-Zener formula for transition probabilities in processes that involve avoided level crossings. We show that the two approaches yield compatible results for the scaling of the defect density with the quench rate. We exhibit similarities between them, and comment on the insights they give into dynamics of quantum phase transitions. (author)

Young-Laplace equation for liquid crystal interfaces

Science.gov (United States)

Rey, Alejandro D.

2000-12-01

This letter uses the classical theories of liquid crystal physics to derive the Young-Laplace equation of capillary hydrostatics for interfaces between viscous isotropic (I) fluids and nematic liquid crystals (NLC's), and establishes the existence of four energy contributions to pressure jumps across these unusual anisotropic interfaces. It is shown that in addition to the usual curvature contribution, bulk and surface gradient elasticity, elastic stress, and anchoring energy contribute to pressure differentials across the interface. The magnitude of the effect is proportional to the elastic moduli of the NLC, and to the bulk and surface orientation gradients that may be present in the nematic phase. In contrast to the planar interface between isotropic fluids, flat liquid crystal interfaces support pressure jumps if elastic stresses, bulk and surface gradient energy, and/or anchoring energies are finite.

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.

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.

Quantum phase transitions of strongly correlated electron systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Imada, Masatoshi

1998-01-01

Interacting electrons in solids undergo various quantum phase transitions driven by quantum fluctuations. The quantum transitions take place at zero temperature by changing a parameter to control quantum fluctuations rather than thermal fluctuations. In contrast to classical phase transitions driven by thermal fluctuations, the quantum transitions have many different features where quantum dynamics introduces a source of intrinsic fluctuations tightly connected with spatial correlations and they have been a subject of recent intensive studies as we see below. Interacting electron systems cannot be fully understood without deep analyses of the quantum phase transitions themselves, because they are widely seen and play essential roles in many phenomena. Typical and important examples of the quantum phase transitions include metal-insulator transitions, (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9) metal-superconductor transitions, superconductor-insulator transitions, magnetic transitions to antiferromagnetic or ferromagnetic phases in metals as well as in Mott insulators, and charge ordering transitions. Here, we focus on three different types of transitions

Dispersions of Goethite Nanorods in Aprotic Polar Solvents

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Delphine Coursault

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Colloidal suspensions of anisotropic nanoparticles can spontaneously self-organize in liquid-crystalline phases beyond some concentration threshold. These phases often respond to electric and magnetic fields. At lower concentrations, usual isotropic liquids are observed but they can display very strong Kerr and Cotton-Mouton effects (i.e., field-induced particle orientation. For many examples of these colloidal suspensions, the solvent is water, which hinders most electro-optic applications. Here, for goethite (α-FeOOH nanorod dispersions, we show that water can be replaced by polar aprotic solvents, such as N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP and dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO, without loss of colloidal stability. By polarized-light microscopy, small-angle X-ray scattering and electro-optic measurements, we found that the nematic phase, with its field-response properties, is retained. Moreover, a strong Kerr effect was also observed with isotropic goethite suspensions in these polar aprotic solvents. Furthermore, we found no significant difference in the behavior of both the nematic and isotropic phases between the aqueous and non-aqueous dispersions. Our work shows that goethite nanorod suspensions in polar aprotic solvents, suitable for electro-optic applications, can easily be produced and that they keep all their outstanding properties. It also suggests that this solvent replacement method could be extended to the aqueous colloidal suspensions of other kinds of charged anisotropic nanoparticles.

Phase transitions in finite systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chomaz, Ph. [Grand Accelerateur National d' Ions Lourds (GANIL), DSM-CEA / IN2P3-CNRS, 14 - Caen (France); Gulminelli, F. [Caen Univ., 14 (France). Lab. de Physique Corpusculaire

2002-07-01

In this series of lectures we will first review the general theory of phase transition in the framework of information theory and briefly address some of the well known mean field solutions of three dimensional problems. The theory of phase transitions in finite systems will then be discussed, with a special emphasis to the conceptual problems linked to a thermodynamical description for small, short-lived, open systems as metal clusters and data samples coming from nuclear collisions. The concept of negative heat capacity developed in the early seventies in the context of self-gravitating systems will be reinterpreted in the general framework of convexity anomalies of thermo-statistical potentials. The connection with the distribution of the order parameter will lead us to a definition of first order phase transitions in finite systems based on topology anomalies of the event distribution in the space of observations. Finally a careful study of the thermodynamical limit will provide a bridge with the standard theory of phase transitions and show that in a wide class of physical situations the different statistical ensembles are irreducibly inequivalent. (authors)

Phase transitions in finite systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chomaz, Ph.; Gulminelli, F.

2002-01-01

In this series of lectures we will first review the general theory of phase transition in the framework of information theory and briefly address some of the well known mean field solutions of three dimensional problems. The theory of phase transitions in finite systems will then be discussed, with a special emphasis to the conceptual problems linked to a thermodynamical description for small, short-lived, open systems as metal clusters and data samples coming from nuclear collisions. The concept of negative heat capacity developed in the early seventies in the context of self-gravitating systems will be reinterpreted in the general framework of convexity anomalies of thermo-statistical potentials. The connection with the distribution of the order parameter will lead us to a definition of first order phase transitions in finite systems based on topology anomalies of the event distribution in the space of observations. Finally a careful study of the thermodynamical limit will provide a bridge with the standard theory of phase transitions and show that in a wide class of physical situations the different statistical ensembles are irreducibly inequivalent. (authors)

Non-equilibrium phase transition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mottola, E.; Cooper, F.M.; Bishop, A.R.; Habib, S.; Kluger, Y.; Jensen, N.G.

1998-01-01

This is the final report of a one-year, Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) project at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). Non-equilibrium phase transitions play a central role in a very broad range of scientific areas, ranging from nuclear, particle, and astrophysics to condensed matter physics and the material and biological sciences. The aim of this project was to explore the path to a deeper and more fundamental understanding of the common physical principles underlying the complex real time dynamics of phase transitions. The main emphasis was on the development of general theoretical tools to deal with non-equilibrium processes, and of numerical methods robust enough to capture the time-evolving structures that occur in actual experimental situations. Specific applications to Laboratory multidivisional efforts in relativistic heavy-ion physics (transition to a new phase of nuclear matter consisting of a quark-gluon plasma) and layered high-temperature superconductors (critical currents and flux flow at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory) were undertaken

Predicting a new phase (T'') of two-dimensional transition metal di-chalcogenides and strain-controlled topological phase transition

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Fengxian; Gao, Guoping; Jiao, Yalong; Gu, Yuantong; Bilic, Ante; Zhang, Haijun; Chen, Zhongfang; Du, Aijun

2016-02-01

Single layered transition metal dichalcogenides have attracted tremendous research interest due to their structural phase diversities. By using a global optimization approach, we have discovered a new phase of transition metal dichalcogenides (labelled as T''), which is confirmed to be energetically, dynamically and kinetically stable by our first-principles calculations. The new T'' MoS2 phase exhibits an intrinsic quantum spin Hall (QSH) effect with a nontrivial gap as large as 0.42 eV, suggesting that a two-dimensional (2D) topological insulator can be achieved at room temperature. Most interestingly, there is a topological phase transition simply driven by a small tensile strain of up to 2%. Furthermore, all the known MX2 (M = Mo or W; X = S, Se or Te) monolayers in the new T'' phase unambiguously display similar band topologies and strain controlled topological phase transitions. Our findings greatly enrich the 2D families of transition metal dichalcogenides and offer a feasible way to control the electronic states of 2D topological insulators for the fabrication of high-speed spintronics devices.Single layered transition metal dichalcogenides have attracted tremendous research interest due to their structural phase diversities. By using a global optimization approach, we have discovered a new phase of transition metal dichalcogenides (labelled as T''), which is confirmed to be energetically, dynamically and kinetically stable by our first-principles calculations. The new T'' MoS2 phase exhibits an intrinsic quantum spin Hall (QSH) effect with a nontrivial gap as large as 0.42 eV, suggesting that a two-dimensional (2D) topological insulator can be achieved at room temperature. Most interestingly, there is a topological phase transition simply driven by a small tensile strain of up to 2%. Furthermore, all the known MX2 (M = Mo or W; X = S, Se or Te) monolayers in the new T'' phase unambiguously display similar band topologies and strain controlled topological

Quark–hadron phase transition in massive gravity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Atazadeh, K., E-mail: atazadeh@azaruniv.ac.ir

2016-11-15

We study the quark–hadron phase transition in the framework of massive gravity. We show that the modification of the FRW cosmological equations leads to the quark–hadron phase transition in the early massive Universe. Using numerical analysis, we consider that a phase transition based on the chiral symmetry breaking after the electroweak transition, occurred at approximately 10 μs after the Big Bang to convert a plasma of free quarks and gluons into hadrons.

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.

Localised polymer networks in chiral nematic liquid crystals for high speed photonic switching

Science.gov (United States)

Tartan, Chloe C.; Salter, Patrick S.; Booth, Martin J.; Morris, Stephen M.; Elston, Steve J.

2016-05-01

Self-assembled periodic structures based upon chiral liquid crystalline materials have significant potential in the field of photonics ranging from fast-switching optoelectronic devices to low-threshold lasers. The flexoelectro-optic effect, which is observed in chiral nematic liquid crystals (LCs) when an electric field is applied perpendicular to the helical axis, has significant potential as it exhibits analogue switching in 10-100 μs. However, the major technological barrier that prohibits the commercial realisation of this electro-optic effect is the requirement of a uniform, in-plane alignment of the helix axis between glass substrates. Here, it is shown that periodic polymer structures engineered in the nematic phase of a chiral nematic LC device using direct laser writing can result in the spontaneous formation of the necessary uniform lying helix (ULH) state. Specifically, two-photon polymerization is used in conjunction with a spatial light modulator so as to correct for aberrations introduced by the bounding glass substrates enabling the polymer structures to be fabricated directly into the device. The ULH state appears to be stable in the absence of an externally applied electric field, and the optimum contrast between the bright and dark states is obtained using polymer structures that have periodicities of the order of the device thickness.

Localised polymer networks in chiral nematic liquid crystals for high speed photonic switching

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tartan, Chloe C.; Salter, Patrick S.; Booth, Martin J.; Morris, Stephen M.; Elston, Steve J.

2016-01-01

Self-assembled periodic structures based upon chiral liquid crystalline materials have significant potential in the field of photonics ranging from fast-switching optoelectronic devices to low-threshold lasers. The flexoelectro-optic effect, which is observed in chiral nematic liquid crystals (LCs) when an electric field is applied perpendicular to the helical axis, has significant potential as it exhibits analogue switching in 10–100 μs. However, the major technological barrier that prohibits the commercial realisation of this electro-optic effect is the requirement of a uniform, in-plane alignment of the helix axis between glass substrates. Here, it is shown that periodic polymer structures engineered in the nematic phase of a chiral nematic LC device using direct laser writing can result in the spontaneous formation of the necessary uniform lying helix (ULH) state. Specifically, two-photon polymerization is used in conjunction with a spatial light modulator so as to correct for aberrations introduced by the bounding glass substrates enabling the polymer structures to be fabricated directly into the device. The ULH state appears to be stable in the absence of an externally applied electric field, and the optimum contrast between the bright and dark states is obtained using polymer structures that have periodicities of the order of the device thickness.

Localised polymer networks in chiral nematic liquid crystals for high speed photonic switching

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tartan, Chloe C., E-mail: chloe.tartan@eng.ox.ac.uk, E-mail: steve.elston@eng.ox.ac.uk; Salter, Patrick S.; Booth, Martin J.; Morris, Stephen M.; Elston, Steve J., E-mail: chloe.tartan@eng.ox.ac.uk, E-mail: steve.elston@eng.ox.ac.uk [Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PJ (United Kingdom)

2016-05-14

Self-assembled periodic structures based upon chiral liquid crystalline materials have significant potential in the field of photonics ranging from fast-switching optoelectronic devices to low-threshold lasers. The flexoelectro-optic effect, which is observed in chiral nematic liquid crystals (LCs) when an electric field is applied perpendicular to the helical axis, has significant potential as it exhibits analogue switching in 10–100 μs. However, the major technological barrier that prohibits the commercial realisation of this electro-optic effect is the requirement of a uniform, in-plane alignment of the helix axis between glass substrates. Here, it is shown that periodic polymer structures engineered in the nematic phase of a chiral nematic LC device using direct laser writing can result in the spontaneous formation of the necessary uniform lying helix (ULH) state. Specifically, two-photon polymerization is used in conjunction with a spatial light modulator so as to correct for aberrations introduced by the bounding glass substrates enabling the polymer structures to be fabricated directly into the device. The ULH state appears to be stable in the absence of an externally applied electric field, and the optimum contrast between the bright and dark states is obtained using polymer structures that have periodicities of the order of the device thickness.

First order electroweak phase transition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Buchmueller, W.; Fodor, Z.

1993-01-01

In this work, the authors have studied the phase transition in the SU(2)gauge theory at finite temperature. The authors' improved perturbative approach does not suffer from the infrared problems appearing in the ordinary loop expansion. The authors have calculated the effective potential up to cubic terms in the couplings. The higher order terms suggest that the method is reliable for Higgs masses smaller than 80 GeV. The authors have obtained a non-vanishing magnetic mass which further weakens the transitions. By use of Langer's theory of metastability, the authors have calculated the nucleation rate for critical bubbles and have discussed some cosmological consequences. For m H <80 GeV the phase transition is first order and proceeds via bubble nucleation and growth. The thin wall approximation is only marginally applicable. Since the phase transition is quite weak SM baryogenesis is unlikely. 8 refs., 5 figs

How to quantify the transition phase during golf swing performance: Torsional load affects low back complaints during the transition phase.

Science.gov (United States)

Sim, Taeyong; Choi, Ahnryul; Lee, Soeun; Mun, Joung Hwan

2017-10-01

The transition phase of a golf swing is considered to be a decisive instant required for a powerful swing. However, at the same time, the low back torsional loads during this phase can have a considerable effect on golf-related low back pain (LBP). Previous efforts to quantify the transition phase were hampered by problems with accuracy due to methodological limitations. In this study, vector-coding technique (VCT) method was proposed as a comprehensive methodology to quantify the precise transition phase and examine low back torsional load. Towards this end, transition phases were assessed using three different methods (VCT, lead hand speed and X-factor stretch) and compared; then, low back torsional load during the transition phase was examined. As a result, the importance of accurate transition phase quantification has been documented. The largest torsional loads were observed in healthy professional golfers (10.23 ± 1.69 N · kg -1 ), followed by professional golfers with a history of LBP (7.93 ± 1.79 N · kg -1 ), healthy amateur golfers (1.79 ± 1.05 N · kg -1 ) and amateur golfers with a history of LBP (0.99 ± 0.87 N · kg -1 ), which order was equal to that of the transition phase magnitudes of each group. These results indicate the relationship between the transition phase and LBP history and the dependency of the torsional load magnitude on the transition phase.

Isotropic Growth of Graphene toward Smoothing Stitching.

Science.gov (United States)

Zeng, Mengqi; Tan, Lifang; Wang, Lingxiang; Mendes, Rafael G; Qin, Zhihui; Huang, Yaxin; Zhang, Tao; Fang, Liwen; Zhang, Yanfeng; Yue, Shuanglin; Rümmeli, Mark H; Peng, Lianmao; Liu, Zhongfan; Chen, Shengli; Fu, Lei

2016-07-26

The quality of graphene grown via chemical vapor deposition still has very great disparity with its theoretical property due to the inevitable formation of grain boundaries. The design of single-crystal substrate with an anisotropic twofold symmetry for the unidirectional alignment of graphene seeds would be a promising way for eliminating the grain boundaries at the wafer scale. However, such a delicate process will be easily terminated by the obstruction of defects or impurities. Here we investigated the isotropic growth behavior of graphene single crystals via melting the growth substrate to obtain an amorphous isotropic surface, which will not offer any specific grain orientation induction or preponderant growth rate toward a certain direction in the graphene growth process. The as-obtained graphene grains are isotropically round with mixed edges that exhibit high activity. The orientation of adjacent grains can be easily self-adjusted to smoothly match each other over a liquid catalyst with facile atom delocalization due to the low rotation steric hindrance of the isotropic grains, thus achieving the smoothing stitching of the adjacent graphene. Therefore, the adverse effects of grain boundaries will be eliminated and the excellent transport performance of graphene will be more guaranteed. What is more, such an isotropic growth mode can be extended to other types of layered nanomaterials such as hexagonal boron nitride and transition metal chalcogenides for obtaining large-size intrinsic film with low defect.

Computer modeling of liquid crystals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Al-Barwani, M.S.

1999-01-01

In this thesis, we investigate several aspects of the behaviour of liquid crystal molecules near interfaces using computer simulation. We briefly discuss experiment, theoretical and computer simulation studies of some of the liquid crystal interfaces. We then describe three essentially independent research topics. The first of these concerns extensive simulations of a liquid crystal formed by long flexible molecules. We examined the bulk behaviour of the model and its structure. Studies of a film of smectic liquid crystal surrounded by vapour were also carried out. Extensive simulations were also done for a long-molecule/short-molecule mixture, studies were then carried out to investigate the liquid-vapour interface of the mixture. Next, we report the results of large scale simulations of soft-spherocylinders of two different lengths. We examined the bulk coexistence of the nematic and isotropic phases of the model. Once the bulk coexistence behaviour was known, properties of the nematic-isotropic interface were investigated. This was done by fitting order parameter and density profiles to appropriate mathematical functions and calculating the biaxial order parameter. We briefly discuss the ordering at the interfaces and make attempts to calculate the surface tension. Finally, in our third project, we study the effects of different surface topographies on creating bistable nematic liquid crystal devices. This was carried out using a model based on the discretisation of the free energy on a lattice. We use simulation to find the lowest energy states and investigate if they are degenerate in energy. We also test our model by studying the Frederiks transition and comparing with analytical and other simulation results. (author)

Comments on the electroweak phase transition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dine, M.; Leigh, R.G.; Huet, P.; Linde, A.; Linde, D.

1992-01-01

We report on an investigation of various problems related to the theory of the electroweak phase transition. This includes a determination of the nature of the phase transition, a discussion of the possible role of higher order radiative corrections and the theory of the formation and evolution of the bubbles of the new phase. We find in particular that no dangerous linear terms appear in the effective potential. However, the strength of the first-order phase transition is 2/3 times less than what follows from the one-loop approximation. This rules out baryogenesis in the minimal version of the electroweak theory with light Higgs bosons. (orig.)

Effect of hyperons on nuclear phase transition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Das, P.; Mallik, S.; Chaudhuri, G.

2016-01-01

Phase transition of nuclear system in heavy ion-collisions at intermediate energy has been studied well for many years and it has also been extended to strange nuclear matter. Recently, using the Canonical Thermodynamical Model (CTM), detailed work on multiplicity distribution of fragments produced from fragmentation of hypernuclear system shows the existence of phase transition or phase coexistence in strange system with Λ-hyperons. In present work we want to continue the investigation on phase transition with respect to some other thermodynamic observables like free energy, specific heat etc. in order to be confirmed about the nature of the transition

Generalized definitions of phase transitions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chomaz, Ph.; Gulminelli, F.

2001-09-01

We define a first order phase transition as a bimodality of the event distribution in the space of observations and we show that this is equivalent to a curvature anomaly of the thermodynamical potential and that it implies the Yang Lee behavior of the zeros of the partition sum. Moreover, it allows to study phase transitions out of equilibrium. (authors)

Quantum phase transition with dissipative frustration

Science.gov (United States)

Maile, D.; Andergassen, S.; Belzig, W.; Rastelli, G.

2018-04-01

We study the quantum phase transition of the one-dimensional phase model in the presence of dissipative frustration, provided by an interaction of the system with the environment through two noncommuting operators. Such a model can be realized in Josephson junction chains with shunt resistances and resistances between the chain and the ground. Using a self-consistent harmonic approximation, we determine the phase diagram at zero temperature which exhibits a quantum phase transition between an ordered phase, corresponding to the superconducting state, and a disordered phase, corresponding to the insulating state with localized superconducting charge. Interestingly, we find that the critical line separating the two phases has a nonmonotonic behavior as a function of the dissipative coupling strength. This result is a consequence of the frustration between (i) one dissipative coupling that quenches the quantum phase fluctuations favoring the ordered phase and (ii) one that quenches the quantum momentum (charge) fluctuations leading to a vanishing phase coherence. Moreover, within the self-consistent harmonic approximation, we analyze the dissipation induced crossover between a first and second order phase transition, showing that quantum frustration increases the range in which the phase transition is second order. The nonmonotonic behavior is reflected also in the purity of the system that quantifies the degree of correlation between the system and the environment, and in the logarithmic negativity as an entanglement measure that encodes the internal quantum correlations in the chain.

Xenon NMR of liquid crystals confined to cylindrical nanocavities: a simulation study.

Science.gov (United States)

Karjalainen, Jouni; Vaara, Juha; Straka, Michal; Lantto, Perttu

2015-03-21

Applications of liquid crystals (LCs), such as smart windows and the ubiquitous display devices, are based on controlling the orientational and translational order in a small volume of LC medium. Hence, understanding the effects of confinement to the liquid crystal phase behaviour is essential. The NMR shielding of (129)Xe atoms dissolved in LCs constitutes a very sensitive probe to the details of LC environment. Linking the experimental results to microscopic phenomena calls for molecular simulations. In this work, the NMR shielding of atomic (129)Xe dissolved in a uniaxial thermotropic LC confined to nanosized cylindrical cavities is computed from coarse-grained (CG) isobaric Monte Carlo (MC) simulations with a quantum-chemically (QC) pre-parameterised pairwise-additive model for the Xe nuclear shielding tensor. We report the results for the (129)Xe nuclear shielding and its connection to the structure and order of the LC appropriate to two different cavity sizes, as well as a comparison to the results of bulk (non-confined) simulations. We find that the confinement changes the LC phase structure dramatically and gives rise to the coexistence of varying degrees of LC order, which is reflected in the Xe shielding. Furthermore, we qualitatively reproduce the behaviour of the mean (129)Xe chemical shift with respect to temperature for atomic Xe dissolved in LC confined to controlled-pore glass materials. In the small-radius cavity the nematic - paranematic phase transition is revealed only by the anisotropic component of the (129)Xe nuclear shielding. In the larger cavity, the nematic - paranematic - isotropic transition is clearly seen in the Xe shielding. The simulated (129)Xe NMR shielding is insensitive to the smectic-A - nematic transition, since in the smectic-A phase, the Xe atoms largely occupy the imperfect layer structure near the cavity walls. The direct contribution of the cavity wall to (129)Xe nuclear shielding is dependent on the cavity size but

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

Microscopic origin of black hole reentrant phase transitions

Science.gov (United States)

Zangeneh, M. Kord; Dehyadegari, A.; Sheykhi, A.; Mann, R. B.

2018-04-01

Understanding the microscopic behavior of the black hole ingredients has been one of the important challenges in black hole physics during the past decades. In order to shed some light on the microscopic structure of black holes, in this paper, we explore a recently observed phenomenon for black holes namely reentrant phase transition, by employing the Ruppeiner geometry. Interestingly enough, we observe two properties for the phase behavior of small black holes that leads to reentrant phase transition. They are correlated and they are of the interaction type. For the range of pressure in which the system underlies reentrant phase transition, it transits from the large black holes phase to the small one which possesses higher correlation than the other ranges of pressures. On the other hand, the type of interaction between small black holes near the large/small transition line differs for usual and reentrant phase transitions. Indeed, for the usual case, the dominant interaction is repulsive whereas for the reentrant case we encounter an attractive interaction. We show that in the reentrant phase transition case, the small black holes behave like a bosonic gas whereas in the usual phase transition case, they behave like a quantum anyon gas.

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

Dynamics of colloidal systems of magnetic nanoparticles under influence of magnetic fields investigated by XPCS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schavkan, Alexander

2017-05-01

This thesis investigates structural properties and the underlying microscopic dynamics of suspensions of α-FeOOH goethite platelets in water under the influence of magnetic fields. Goethite particles show unusual physical properties and a rich phase diagram, which makes their suspensions an object of high interest for research in the area of ''smart nanoparticles''. Five nanoparticle concentrations were chosen such that different liquid crystal phases could be studied. The suspensions of platelets of these chosen concentrations were exposed to magnetic fields of varying strength. Small angle X-ray scattering and X-ray photon correlation spectroscopy data were taken and evaluated. The appearing phases and phase transitions were studied as a function of concentration and applied magnetic field. For this purpose, order parameters, ellipticity, radial and azimuthal peak positions and widths of scattering features were investigated to clarify the structural properties in detail. For the analysis of the underlying dynamics, the relaxation rates and the shape of measured time correlation functions were evaluated. The results show that with increasing magnetic field a partial realignment of the platelets occurs. This realignment is connected to the magnetic properties of the particles. The dynamics of the corresponding phases revealed a dependence on the concentration of nanoparticles in the suspension. At a concentration of c=20 vol% the transition from the nematic to the anti-nematic phase traverses a mixed state. The nematic and anti-nematic phases show ballistic motion and very similar properties, even though a realignment of the particles from an orientation with the long axis parallel to the applied magnetic field in the nematic phase to an orientation with the long axis perpendicular to the magnetic field in the anti-nematic phase occurs. The mixed state of 20 vol%-suspension exhibits a diffusive motion of the particles and different characteristics. A significant

Dynamics of colloidal systems of magnetic nanoparticles under influence of magnetic fields investigated by XPCS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schavkan, Alexander

2017-05-15

This thesis investigates structural properties and the underlying microscopic dynamics of suspensions of α-FeOOH goethite platelets in water under the influence of magnetic fields. Goethite particles show unusual physical properties and a rich phase diagram, which makes their suspensions an object of high interest for research in the area of ''smart nanoparticles''. Five nanoparticle concentrations were chosen such that different liquid crystal phases could be studied. The suspensions of platelets of these chosen concentrations were exposed to magnetic fields of varying strength. Small angle X-ray scattering and X-ray photon correlation spectroscopy data were taken and evaluated. The appearing phases and phase transitions were studied as a function of concentration and applied magnetic field. For this purpose, order parameters, ellipticity, radial and azimuthal peak positions and widths of scattering features were investigated to clarify the structural properties in detail. For the analysis of the underlying dynamics, the relaxation rates and the shape of measured time correlation functions were evaluated. The results show that with increasing magnetic field a partial realignment of the platelets occurs. This realignment is connected to the magnetic properties of the particles. The dynamics of the corresponding phases revealed a dependence on the concentration of nanoparticles in the suspension. At a concentration of c=20 vol% the transition from the nematic to the anti-nematic phase traverses a mixed state. The nematic and anti-nematic phases show ballistic motion and very similar properties, even though a realignment of the particles from an orientation with the long axis parallel to the applied magnetic field in the nematic phase to an orientation with the long axis perpendicular to the magnetic field in the anti-nematic phase occurs. The mixed state of 20 vol%-suspension exhibits a diffusive motion of the particles and different

Dielectric spectroscopy of the SmQ* phase

Science.gov (United States)

Perkowski, P.; Bubnov, A.; Piecek, W.; Ogrodnik, K.; Hamplová, V.; Kašpar, M.

2011-11-01

Liquid crystal possessing two biphenyl moieties in the molecular core and lateral chlorine substitution far from the chiral chain has been studied by dielectric spectroscopy. On cooling from the isotropic phase, the material possesses the frustrated smectic Q* (SmQ*) and SmCA* phases. It has been confirmed by dielectric spectroscopy that the SmQ* phase can be related to the SmCA* anti-ferroelectric phase. However, only one relaxation process has been observed in the SmQ* phase, while in the SmCA*, two relaxations are clearly detectable. It seems that the mode found in the SmQ* can be connected with high-frequency anti-phase mode observed in the SmCA* phase. Its relaxation frequency is similar to PH relaxation frequency, but is weaker. The same relaxation has been observed even a few degrees above the SmQ*-Iso phase transition. Another explanation for the mode detected in SmQ* and isotropic phases can be molecular motions around short molecular axis.

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...

Ionic diffusion and salt dissociation conditions of lithium liquid crystal electrolytes.

Science.gov (United States)

Saito, Yuria; Hirai, Kenichi; Murata, Shuuhei; Kishii, Yutaka; Kii, Keisuke; Yoshio, Masafumi; Kato, Takashi

2005-06-16

Salt dissociation conditions and dynamic properties of ionic species in liquid crystal electrolytes of lithium were investigated by a combination of NMR spectra and diffusion coefficient estimations using the pulsed gradient spin-echo NMR techniques. Activation energies of diffusion (Ea) of ionic species changed with the phase transition of the electrolyte. That is, Ea of the nematic phase was lower than that of the isotropic phase. This indicates that the aligned liquid crystal molecules prepared efficient conduction pathways for migration of ionic species. The dissociation degree of the salt was lower compared with those of the conventional electrolyte solutions and polymer gel electrolytes. This is attributed to the low concentration of polar sites, which attract the dissolved salt and promote salt dissociation, on the liquid crystal molecules. Furthermore, motional restriction of the molecules due to high viscosity and molecular oriented configuration in the nematic phase caused inefficient attraction of the sites for the salt. With a decreased dissolved salt concentration of the liquid crystal electrolyte, salt dissociation proceeded, and two diffusion components attributed to the ion and ion pair were detected independently. This means that the exchange rate between the ion and the ion pair is fairly slow once the salt is dissociated in the liquid crystal electrolytes due to the low motility of the medium molecules that initiate salt dissociation.

The quantum phase-transitions of water

Science.gov (United States)

Fillaux, François

2017-08-01

It is shown that hexagonal ices and steam are macroscopically quantum condensates, with continuous spacetime-translation symmetry, whereas liquid water is a quantum fluid with broken time-translation symmetry. Fusion and vaporization are quantum phase-transitions. The heat capacities, the latent heats, the phase-transition temperatures, the critical temperature, the molar volume expansion of ice relative to water, as well as neutron scattering data and dielectric measurements are explained. The phase-transition mechanisms along with the key role of quantum interferences and that of Hartley-Shannon's entropy are enlightened. The notions of chemical bond and force-field are questioned.

Nanoparticle guests in lyotropic liquid crystals

Science.gov (United States)

Dölle, Sarah; Park, Ji Hyun; Schymura, Stefan; Jo, Hyeran; Scalia, Giusy; Lagerwall, Jan P. F.

In this chapter we discuss the benefits, peculiarities and main challenges related to nanoparticle templating in lyotropic liquid crystals. We first give a brief bird's-eye view of the field, discussing different nanoparticles as well as different lyotropic hosts that have been explored, but then quickly focus on the dispersion of carbon nanotubes in surfactant-based lyotropic nematic phases. We discuss in some detail how the transfer of orientational order from liquid crystal host to nanoparticle guest can be verified and which degree of ordering can be expected, as well as the importance of choosing the right surfactant and its concentration for the stability of the nanoparticle suspension. We introduce a method for dispersing nanoparticles with an absolute minimum of stabilizing surfactant, based on dispersion below the Krafft temperature, and we discuss the peculiar phenomenon of filament formation in lyotropic nematic phases with a sufficient concentration of well-dispersed carbon nanotubes. Finally, we describe how the total surfactant concentration in micellar nematics can be greatly reduced by combining cat- and anionic surfactants, and we discuss how nanotubes can help in inducing the liquid crystal phase close to the isotropic-nematic boundary.

Phase transition in SO(3) gauge theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Datta, Saumen; Gavai, Rajiv V.

1998-01-01

The phase transition in SO(3) lattice gauge theory is investigated by Monte Carlo techniques with a view (i) to understand the relationship between the bulk transition and the deconfinement transition, and (ii) to resolve the current ambiguity about the nature of the high temperature phase. By introduction of a magnetic field, it was shown that the +ve and -ve values of a > correspond to the same phase. Studies on different sized lattices lead to the conclusion that in SO(3), there is only one transition, which is deconfining in nature. (author)

Optical transitions driven by self-induced walk-off in nematic liquid crystals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brasselet, E.

2004-01-01

Optical field induced reorientation of a nematic liquid crystals film is investigated for finite cross-section of the excitation beam. An approach based on self-induced walk-off between extraordinary and ordinary waves is proposed, including the geometrical aspect ratio between the beam diameter and the cell thickness in a perturbative fashion. The bifurcation scenario when the intensity is taken as the control parameter is calculated in the case of a circularly polarized excitation beam at normal incidence. The sudden appearance of a new saddle-node bifurcation is predicted for a walk-off corresponding to realistic experimental conditions. Changes of the light angular momentum transfer induced by walk-off are singled out as a valid candidate to explain observed nonlinear dynamics whose origin is not yet well understood

What's new with the electroweak phase transition?

CERN Document Server

Laine, M.

1999-01-01

We review the status of non-perturbative lattice studies of the electroweak phase transition. In the Standard Model, the complete phase diagram has been reliably determined, and the conclusion is that there is no phase transition at all for the experimentally allowed Higgs masses. In the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM), in contrast, there can be a strong first order transition allowing for baryogenesis. Finally, we point out possibilities for future simulations, such as the problem of CP-violation at the MSSM electroweak phase boundary.

Microgravity Two-Phase Flow Transition

Science.gov (United States)

Parang, M.; Chao, D.

1999-01-01

Two-phase flows under microgravity condition find a large number of important applications in fluid handling and storage, and spacecraft thermal management. Specifically, under microgravity condition heat transfer between heat exchanger surfaces and fluids depend critically on the distribution and interaction between different fluid phases which are often qualitatively different from the gravity-based systems. Heat transfer and flow analysis in two-phase flows under these conditions require a clear understanding of the flow pattern transition and development of appropriate dimensionless scales for its modeling and prediction. The physics of this flow is however very complex and remains poorly understood. This has led to various inadequacies in flow and heat transfer modeling and has made prediction of flow transition difficult in engineering design of efficient thermal and flow systems. In the present study the available published data for flow transition under microgravity condition are considered for mapping. The transition from slug to annular flow and from bubbly to slug flow are mapped using dimensionless variable combination developed in a previous study by the authors. The result indicate that the new maps describe the flow transitions reasonably well over the range of the data available. The transition maps are examined and the results are discussed in relation to the presumed balance of forces and flow dynamics. It is suggested that further evaluation of the proposed flow and transition mapping will require a wider range of microgravity data expected to be made available in future studies.

Wilson loop's phase transition probed by non-local observable

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hui-Ling Li

2018-04-01

Full Text Available In order to give further insights into the holographic Van der Waals phase transition, it would be of great interest to investigate the behavior of Wilson loop across the holographic phase transition for a higher dimensional hairy black hole. We offer a possibility to proceed with a numerical calculation in order to discussion on the hairy black hole's phase transition, and show that Wilson loop can serve as a probe to detect a phase structure of the black hole. Furthermore, for a first order phase transition, we calculate numerically the Maxwell's equal area construction; and for a second order phase transition, we also study the critical exponent in order to characterize the Wilson loop's phase transition.

A Fourier Collocation Approach for Transit-Time Ultrasonic Flowmeter Under Multi-Phase Flow Conditions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Simurda, Matej; Lassen, Benny; Duggen, Lars

2017-01-01

A numerical model for a clamp-on transit-time ultrasonic flowmeter (TTUF) under multi-phase flow conditions is presented. The method solves equations of linear elasticity for isotropic heterogeneous materials with background flow where acoustic media are modeled by setting shear modulus to zero....... Spatial derivatives are calculated by a Fourier collocation method allowing the use of the fast Fourier transform (FFT) and time derivatives are approximated by a finite difference (FD) scheme. This approach is sometimes referred to as a pseudospectral time-domain method. Perfectly matched layers (PML......) are used to avoid wave-wrapping and staggered grids are implemented to improve stability and efficiency. The method is verified against exact analytical solutions and the effect of the time-staggering and associated lowest number of points per minimum wavelengths value is discussed. The method...

Problem-Solving Phase Transitions During Team Collaboration.

Science.gov (United States)

Wiltshire, Travis J; Butner, Jonathan E; Fiore, Stephen M

2018-01-01

Multiple theories of problem-solving hypothesize that there are distinct qualitative phases exhibited during effective problem-solving. However, limited research has attempted to identify when transitions between phases occur. We integrate theory on collaborative problem-solving (CPS) with dynamical systems theory suggesting that when a system is undergoing a phase transition it should exhibit a peak in entropy and that entropy levels should also relate to team performance. Communications from 40 teams that collaborated on a complex problem were coded for occurrence of problem-solving processes. We applied a sliding window entropy technique to each team's communications and specified criteria for (a) identifying data points that qualify as peaks and (b) determining which peaks were robust. We used multilevel modeling, and provide a qualitative example, to evaluate whether phases exhibit distinct distributions of communication processes. We also tested whether there was a relationship between entropy values at transition points and CPS performance. We found that a proportion of entropy peaks was robust and that the relative occurrence of communication codes varied significantly across phases. Peaks in entropy thus corresponded to qualitative shifts in teams' CPS communications, providing empirical evidence that teams exhibit phase transitions during CPS. Also, lower average levels of entropy at the phase transition points predicted better CPS performance. We specify future directions to improve understanding of phase transitions during CPS, and collaborative cognition, more broadly. Copyright © 2017 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.

Modeling Textural Processes during Self-Assembly of Plant-Based Chiral-Nematic Liquid Crystals

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yogesh K. Murugesan

2010-12-01

Full Text Available Biological liquid crystalline polymers are found in cellulosic, chitin, and DNA based natural materials. Chiral nematic liquid crystalline orientational order is observed frozen-in in the solid state in plant cell walls and is known as a liquid crystal analogue characterized by a helicoidal plywood architecture. The emergence of the plywood architecture by directed chiral nematic liquid crystalline self assembly has been postulated as the mechanism that leads to optimal cellulose fibril organization. In natural systems, tissue growth and development takes place in the presence of inclusions and secondary phases leaving behind characteristic defects and textures, which provide a unique testing ground for the validity of the liquid crystal self-assembly postulate. In this work, a mathematical model, based on the Landau-de Gennes theory of liquid crystals, is used to simulate defect textures arising in the domain of self assembly, due to presence of secondary phases representing plant cells, lumens and pit canals. It is shown that the obtained defect patterns observed in some plant cell walls are those expected from a truly liquid crystalline phase. The analysis reveals the nature and magnitude of the viscoelastic material parameters that lead to observed patterns in plant-based helicoids through directed self-assembly. In addition, the results provide new guidance to develop biomimetic plywoods for structural and functional applications.

Late-time cosmological phase transitions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schramm, D.N.

1990-11-01

It is shown that the potential galaxy formation and large-scale structure problems of objects existing at high redshifts (Z approx-gt 5), structures existing on scales of 100M pc as well as velocity flows on such scales, and minimal microwave anisotropies (ΔT/T) approx-lt 10 -5 can be solved if the seeds needed to generate structure form in a vacuum phase transition after decoupling. It is argued that the basic physics of such a phase transition is no more exotic than that utilized in the more traditional GUT scale phase transitions, and that, just as in the GUT case, significant random gaussian fluctuations and/or topological defects can form. Scale lengths of ∼100M pc for large-scale structure as well as ∼1 M pc for galaxy formation occur naturally. Possible support for new physics that might be associated with such a late-time transition comes from the preliminary results of the SAGE solar neutrino experiment, implying neutrino flavor mixing with values similar to those required for a late-time transition. It is also noted that a see-saw model for the neutrino masses might also imply a tau neutrino mass that is an ideal hot dark matter candidate. However, in general either hot or cold dark matter can be consistent with a late-time transition. 47 refs., 2 figs

Phase transitions and neutron scattering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shirane, G.

1993-01-01

A review is given of recent advances in neutron scattering studies of solid state physics. I have selected the study of a structural phase transition as the best example to demonstrate the power of neutron scattering techniques. Since energy analysis is relatively easy, the dynamical aspects of a transition can be elucidated by the neutron probe. I shall discuss in some detail current experiments on the 100 K transition in SrTiO 3 , the crystal which has been the paradigm of neutron studies of phase transitions for many years. This new experiment attempts to clarify the relation between the neutron central peak, observed in energy scans, and the two length scales observed in recent x-ray diffraction studies where only scans in momentum space are possible. (author)

Liquid crystallinity in flexible and rigid rod polymers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pickett, Galen T.; Schweizer, Kenneth S.

2000-01-01

We apply an anisotropic version of the polymer reference interaction site model (PRISM) integral equation description of flexible polymers to analyze athermal liquid crystallinity. The polymers are characterized by a statistical segment length, σ o , and by a physical hard-core thickness, d, that prevents the overlap of monomers on different chains. At small segment densities, ρ, the microscopic length scale d is irrelevant (as it must be in the universal semidilute regime), but becomes important in concentrated solutions and melts. Under the influence of the excluded volume interactions alone, the chains undergo a lyotropic, first-order isotropic-nematic transition at a concentration dependent upon the dimensionless ''aspect ratio,'' σ o /d. The transition becomes weaker as d→0, becoming second order, as has been previously shown. We extend the theory to describe the transition of rigid, thin rods, and discuss the evolution of the anisotropic liquid structure in the ordered phase. (c) 2000 American Institute of Physics

The buckling transition of two-dimensional elastic honeycombs: numerical simulation and Landau theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jagla, E A

2004-01-01

I study the buckling transition under compression of a two-dimensional, hexagonal, regular elastic honeycomb. Under isotropic compression, the system buckles to a configuration consisting of a unit cell containing four of the original hexagons. This buckling pattern preserves the sixfold rotational symmetry of the original lattice but is chiral, and can be described as a combination of three different elemental distortions in directions rotated by 2π/3 from each other. Non-isotropic compression may induce patterns consisting of a single elemental distortion or a superposition of two of them. The numerical results compare very well with the outcome of a Landau theory of second-order phase transitions

Quantum phase transitions in random XY spin chains

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bunder, J.E.; McKenzie, R.H.

2000-01-01

Full text: The XY spin chain in a transverse field is one of the simplest quantum spin models. It is a reasonable model for heavy fermion materials such as CeCu 6-x Au x . It has two quantum phase transitions: the Ising transition and the anisotropic transition. Quantum phase transitions occur at zero temperature. We are investigating what effect the introduction of randomness has on these quantum phase transitions. Disordered systems which undergo quantum phase transitions can exhibit new universality classes. The universality class of a phase transition is defined by the set of critical exponents. In a random system with quantum phase transitions we can observe Griffiths-McCoy singularities. Such singularities are observed in regions which have no long range order, so they are not classified as critical regions, yet they display phenomena normally associated with critical points, such as a diverging susceptibility. Griffiths-McCoy phases are due to rare regions with stronger than! average interactions and may be present far from the quantum critical point. We show how the random XY spin chain may be mapped onto a random Dirac equation. This allows us to calculate the density of states without making any approximations. From the density of states we can describe the conditions which should allow a Griffiths-McCoy phase. We find that for the Ising transition the dynamic critical exponent, z, is not universal. It is proportional to the disorder strength and inversely proportional to the energy gap, hence z becomes infinite at the critical point where the energy gap vanishes

Phase transition in anisotropic holographic superfluids with arbitrary dynamical critical exponent z and hyperscaling violation factor α

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Park, Miok [Korea Institute for Advanced Study, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Park, Jiwon; Oh, Jae-Hyuk [Hanyang University, Department of Physics, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2017-11-15

Einstein-scalar-U(2) gauge field theory is considered in a spacetime characterized by α and z, which are the hyperscaling violation factor and the dynamical critical exponent, respectively. We consider a dual fluid system of such a gravity theory characterized by temperature T and chemical potential μ. It turns out that there is a superfluid phase transition where a vector order parameter appears which breaks SO(3) global rotation symmetry of the dual fluid system when the chemical potential becomes a certain critical value. To study this system for arbitrary z and α, we first apply Sturm-Liouville theory and estimate the upper bounds of the critical values of the chemical potential. We also employ a numerical method in the ranges of 1 ≤ z ≤ 4 and 0 ≤ α ≤ 4 to check if the Sturm-Liouville method correctly estimates the critical values of the chemical potential. It turns out that the two methods are agreed within 10 percent error ranges. Finally, we compute free energy density of the dual fluid by using its gravity dual and check if the system shows phase transition at the critical values of the chemical potential μ{sub c} for the given parameter region of α and z. Interestingly, it is observed that the anisotropic phase is more favored than the isotropic phase for relatively small values of z and α. However, for large values of z and α, the anisotropic phase is not favored. (orig.)

Phase transition phenomenon: A compound measure analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Kang, Bo Soo; Park, Chanhi; Ryu, Doojin; Song, Wonho

2015-06-01

This study investigates the well-documented phenomenon of phase transition in financial markets using combined information from both return and volume changes within short time intervals. We suggest a new measure for the phase transition behaviour of markets, calculated as a return distribution conditional on local variance in volume imbalance, and show that this measure successfully captures phase transition behaviour under various conditions. We analyse the intraday trade and quote dataset from the KOSPI 200 index futures, which includes detailed information on the original order size and the type of each initiating investor. We find that among these two competing factors, the submitted order size yields more explanatory power on the phenomenon of market phase transition than the investor type.

Behavior of the antiferromagnetic phase transition near the fermion condensation quantum phase transition in YbRh{sub 2}Si{sub 2}

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shaginyan, V.R., E-mail: vrshag@thd.pnpi.spb.r [Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute, RAS, Gatchina 188300 (Russian Federation); Racah Institute of Physics, Hebrew University, Jerusalem 91904 (Israel); Amusia, M.Ya. [Racah Institute of Physics, Hebrew University, Jerusalem 91904 (Israel); Popov, K.G. [Komi Science Center, Ural Division, RAS, Syktyvkar 167982 (Russian Federation)

2010-01-11

Low-temperature specific-heat measurements on YbRh{sub 2}Si{sub 2} at the second order antiferromagnetic (AF) phase transition reveal a sharp peak at T{sub N}=72 mK. The corresponding critical exponent alpha turns out to be alpha=0.38, which differs significantly from that obtained within the framework of the fluctuation theory of second order phase transitions based on the scale invariance, where alphaapprox =0.1. We show that under the application of magnetic field the curve of the second order AF phase transitions passes into a curve of the first order ones at the tricritical point leading to a violation of the critical universality of the fluctuation theory. This change of the phase transition is generated by the fermion condensation quantum phase transition. Near the tricritical point the Landau theory of second order phase transitions is applicable and gives alphaapprox =1/2. We demonstrate that this value of alpha is in good agreement with the specific-heat measurements.

Structural Phase Transition Nomenclature, Report of an IUCr Working Group on Phase Transition Nomenclature

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Toleddano, J.C.; Glazer, A.M.; Hahn, Th.; Parthe, E.; Roth, R.S.; Berry, R.S.; Metselaar, R.; Abrahams, S.C.

1998-01-01

A compact and intuitive nomenclature is recommended for naming each phase formed by a given material in a sequence of phase transitions as a function of temperature and/or pressure. The most commonly used label for each phase in a sequence, such as [alpha], [beta], ..., I, II, ... etc., is included

The Structural Phase Transition in Octaflournaphtalene

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mackenzie, Gordon A.; Arthur, J. W.; Pawley, G. S.

1977-01-01

The phase transition in octafluoronaphthalene has been investigated by Raman scattering and neutron powder diffraction. The weight of the experimental evidence points to a unit cell doubling in the a direction, but with no change in space group symmetry. Lattice dynamics calculations support...... this evidence and indicate that the mechanism of the phase transition may well be the instability of a zone boundary acoustic mode of librational character. The structure of the low-temperature phase has been refined and the Raman spectra of the upper and lower phases are reported....

Phases and phase transitions of S=1 bosons

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

smukerjee

Quantum phases and phase transitions of bosons. Subroto Mukerjee. Dept. of Physics & Centre for Quantum. Information and Quantum Computing (CQIQC). Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. 77th annual meeting of the IAS, Nov. 20 2011, PRL Ahmedabad ...

Unconventional phase transitions in a constrained single polymer chain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Klushin, L I; Skvortsov, A M

2011-01-01

Phase transitions were recognized among the most fascinating phenomena in physics. Exactly solved models are especially important in the theory of phase transitions. A number of exactly solved models of phase transitions in a single polymer chain are discussed in this review. These are three models demonstrating the second order phase transitions with some unusual features: two-dimensional model of β-structure formation, the model of coil–globule transition and adsorption of a polymer chain grafted on the solid surface. We also discuss models with first order phase transitions in a single macromolecule which admit not only exact analytical solutions for the partition function with explicit finite-size effects but also the non-equilibrium free energy as a function of the order parameter (Landau function) in closed analytical form. One of them is a model of mechanical desorption of a macromolecule, which demonstrates an unusual first order phase transition with phase coexistence within a single chain. Features of first and second order transitions become mixed here due to phase coexistence which is not accompanied by additional interfacial free energy. Apart from that, there exist several single-chain models belonging to the same class (adsorption of a polymer chain tethered near the solid surface or liquid–liquid interface, and escape transition upon compressing a polymer between small pistons) that represent examples of a highly unconventional first order phase transition with several inter-related unusual features: no simultaneous phase coexistence, and hence no phase boundary, non-concave thermodynamic potential and non-equivalence of conjugate ensembles. An analysis of complex zeros of partition functions upon approaching the thermodynamic limit is presented for models with and without phase coexistence. (topical review)

Phase transitions and baryogenesis from decays

Science.gov (United States)

Shuve, Brian; Tamarit, Carlos

2017-10-01

We study scenarios in which the baryon asymmetry is generated from the decay of a particle whose mass originates from the spontaneous breakdown of a symmetry. This is realized in many models, including low-scale leptogenesis and theories with classical scale invariance. Symmetry breaking in the early universe proceeds through a phase transition that gives the parent particle a time-dependent mass, which provides an additional departure from thermal equilibrium that could modify the efficiency of baryogenesis from out-of-equilibrium decays. We characterize the effects of various types of phase transitions and show that an enhancement in the baryon asymmetry from decays is possible if the phase transition is of the second order, although such models are typically fine-tuned. We also stress the role of new annihilation modes that deplete the parent particle abundance in models realizing such a phase transition, reducing the efficacy of baryogenesis. A proper treatment of baryogenesis in such models therefore requires the inclusion of the effects we study in this paper.

Sound speed during the QCD phase transition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nagasawa, Michiyasu; Yokoyama, Jun'ichi

1998-01-01

The Jeans scale is estimated during the coexistence epoch of quark-gluon and hadron phases in the first-order QCD phase transition. It is shown that, contrary to previous claims, reduction of the sound speed is so little that the phase transition does not affect evolution of cosmological density fluctuations appreciably. (author)

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.

Non-equilibrium phase transitions in complex plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suetterlin, K R; Raeth, C; Ivlev, A V; Thomas, H M; Khrapak, S; Zhdanov, S; Rubin-Zuzic, M; Morfill, G E; Wysocki, A; Loewen, H; Goedheer, W J; Fortov, V E; Lipaev, A M; Molotkov, V I; Petrov, O F

2010-01-01

Complex plasma being the 'plasma state of soft matter' is especially suitable for investigations of non-equilibrium phase transitions. Non-equilibrium phase transitions can manifest in dissipative structures or self-organization. Two specific examples are lane formation and phase separation. Using the permanent microgravity laboratory PK-3 Plus, operating onboard the International Space Station, we performed unique experiments with binary mixtures of complex plasmas that showed both lane formation and phase separation. These observations have been augmented by comprehensive numerical and theoretical studies. In this paper we present an overview of our most important results. In addition we put our results in context with research of complex plasmas, binary systems and non-equilibrium phase transitions. Necessary and promising future complex plasma experiments on phase separation and lane formation are briefly discussed.

Phase transition of aragonite in abalone nacre

Science.gov (United States)

An, Yuanlin; Liu, Zhiming; Wu, Wenjian

2013-04-01

Nacre is composed of about 95 vol.% aragonite and 5 vol.% biopolymer and famous for its "brick and mortar" microstructure. The phase transition temperature of aragonite in nacre is lower than the pure aragonite. In situ XRD was used to identify the phase transition temperature from aragonite to calcite in nacre, based on the analysis of TG-DSC of fresh nacre and demineralized nacre. The results indicate that the microstructure and biopolymer are the two main factors that influence the phase transition temperature of aragonite in nacre.

Mixed-order phase transition in a colloidal crystal

Science.gov (United States)

Alert, Ricard; Tierno, Pietro; Casademunt, Jaume

2017-12-01

Mixed-order phase transitions display a discontinuity in the order parameter like first-order transitions yet feature critical behavior like second-order transitions. Such transitions have been predicted for a broad range of equilibrium and nonequilibrium systems, but their experimental observation has remained elusive. Here, we analytically predict and experimentally realize a mixed-order equilibrium phase transition. Specifically, a discontinuous solid-solid transition in a 2D crystal of paramagnetic colloidal particles is induced by a magnetic field H. At the transition field Hs, the energy landscape of the system becomes completely flat, which causes diverging fluctuations and correlation length ξ∝|H2-Hs2|-1/2. Mean-field critical exponents are predicted, since the upper critical dimension of the transition is du=2. Our colloidal system provides an experimental test bed to probe the unconventional properties of mixed-order phase transitions.

Mixed-order phase transition in a colloidal crystal.

Science.gov (United States)

Alert, Ricard; Tierno, Pietro; Casademunt, Jaume

2017-12-05

Mixed-order phase transitions display a discontinuity in the order parameter like first-order transitions yet feature critical behavior like second-order transitions. Such transitions have been predicted for a broad range of equilibrium and nonequilibrium systems, but their experimental observation has remained elusive. Here, we analytically predict and experimentally realize a mixed-order equilibrium phase transition. Specifically, a discontinuous solid-solid transition in a 2D crystal of paramagnetic colloidal particles is induced by a magnetic field [Formula: see text] At the transition field [Formula: see text], the energy landscape of the system becomes completely flat, which causes diverging fluctuations and correlation length [Formula: see text] Mean-field critical exponents are predicted, since the upper critical dimension of the transition is [Formula: see text] Our colloidal system provides an experimental test bed to probe the unconventional properties of mixed-order phase transitions.

NIR-Vis-UV Light-Responsive Actuator Films of Polymer-Dispersed Liquid Crystal/Graphene Oxide Nanocomposites.

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, Zhangxiang; Wang, Tianjie; Li, Xiao; Zhang, Yihe; Yu, Haifeng

2015-12-16

To take full advantage of sunlight for photomechanical materials, NIR-vis-UV light-responsive actuator films of polymer-dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC)/graphene oxide (GO) nanocomposites were fabricated. The strategy is based on phase transition of LCs from nematic to isotropic phase induced by combination of photochemical and photothermal processes in the PDLC/GO nanocomposites. Upon mechanical stretching of the film, both topological shape change and mesogenic alignment occurred in the separated LC domains, enabling the film to respond to NIR-vis-UV light. The homodispersed GO flakes act as photoabsorbent and nanoscale heat source to transfer NIR or VIS light into thermal energy, heating the film and photothermally inducing phase transition of LC microdomains. By utilizing photochemical phase transition of LCs upon UV-light irradiation, one azobenzene dye was incorporated into the LC domains, endowing the nanocomposite films with UV-responsive property. Moreover, the light-responsive behaviors can be well-controlled by adjusting the elongation ratio upon mechanical treatment. The NIR-vis-UV light-responsive PDLC/GO nanocomposite films exhibit excellent properties of easy fabrication, low-cost, and good film-forming and mechanical features, promising their numerous applications in the field of soft actuators and optomechanical systems driven directly by sunlight.

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.

Neutron scattering studies of molecular conformations in liquid crystal polymers

Science.gov (United States)

Noirez, L.; Moussa, F.; Cotton, J. P.; Keller, P.; Pépy, G.

1991-03-01

A comblike liquid crystal polymer (LPC) is a polymer on which mesogenic molecules have been grafted. It exhibits a succession of liquid crystal phases. Usually the equilibrium conformation of an ordinary polymeric chain corresponds to a maximum entropy, i.e., to an isotropic spherical coil. How does the backbone of a LCP behave in the nematic and smectic field? Small-angle neutron scattering may answer this question. Such measurements are presented here on four different polymers as a function of temperature. An anisotropy of the backbone conformation is found in all these studied compounds, much more pronounced in the smectic phase than in the nematic phase: the backbone spreads more or less perpendicularly to its hanging cores. A comparison with existing theories and a discussion of these results is outlined.

Gravitational waves from global second order phase transitions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jr, John T. Giblin [Department of Physics, Kenyon College, 201 North College Rd, Gambier, OH 43022 (United States); Price, Larry R.; Siemens, Xavier; Vlcek, Brian, E-mail: giblinj@kenyon.edu, E-mail: larryp@caltech.edu, E-mail: siemens@gravity.phys.uwm.edu, E-mail: bvlcek@uwm.edu [Center for Gravitation and Cosmology, Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, P.O. Box 413, Milwaukee, WI 53201 (United States)

2012-11-01

Global second-order phase transitions are expected to produce scale-invariant gravitational wave spectra. In this manuscript we explore the dynamics of a symmetry-breaking phase transition using lattice simulations. We explicitly calculate the stochastic gravitational wave background produced during the transition and subsequent self-ordering phase. We comment on this signal as it compares to the scale-invariant spectrum produced during inflation.

High temperature phase transitions without infrared divergences

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tetradis, N.; Wetterich, C.

1993-09-01

The most commonly used method for the study of high temperature phase transitions is based on the perturbative evaluation of the temperature dependent effective potential. This method becomes unreliable in the case of a second order or weakly first order phase transition, due to the appearance of infrared divergences. These divergences can be controlled through the method of the effective average action which employs renormalization group ideas. We report on the study of the high temperature phase transition for the N-component φ 4 theory. A detailed quantitative picture of the second order phase transition is presented, including the critical exponents for the behaviour in the vicinity of the critical temperature. An independent check of the results is obtained in the large N limit, and contact with the perturbative approach is established through the study of the Schwinger-Dyson equations. (orig.)

Probabilistic physical characteristics of phase transitions at highway bottlenecks: incommensurability of three-phase and two-phase traffic-flow theories.

Science.gov (United States)

Kerner, Boris S; Klenov, Sergey L; Schreckenberg, Michael

2014-05-01

Physical features of induced phase transitions in a metastable free flow at an on-ramp bottleneck in three-phase and two-phase cellular automaton (CA) traffic-flow models have been revealed. It turns out that at given flow rates at the bottleneck, to induce a moving jam (F → J transition) in the metastable free flow through the application of a time-limited on-ramp inflow impulse, in both two-phase and three-phase CA models the same critical amplitude of the impulse is required. If a smaller impulse than this critical one is applied, neither F → J transition nor other phase transitions can occur in the two-phase CA model. We have found that in contrast with the two-phase CA model, in the three-phase CA model, if the same smaller impulse is applied, then a phase transition from free flow to synchronized flow (F → S transition) can be induced at the bottleneck. This explains why rather than the F → J transition, in the three-phase theory traffic breakdown at a highway bottleneck is governed by an F → S transition, as observed in real measured traffic data. None of two-phase traffic-flow theories incorporates an F → S transition in a metastable free flow at the bottleneck that is the main feature of the three-phase theory. On the one hand, this shows the incommensurability of three-phase and two-phase traffic-flow theories. On the other hand, this clarifies why none of the two-phase traffic-flow theories can explain the set of fundamental empirical features of traffic breakdown at highway bottlenecks.

Renormalization group approach to QCD phase transitions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Midorikawa, S.; Yoshimoto, S.; So, H.

1987-01-01

Effective scalar theories for QCD are proposed to investigate the deconfining and chiral phase transitions. The orders of the phase transitions are determined by infrared stabilities of the fixed points. It is found that the transitions in SU(3) gauge theories are of 1st order for any number of massless flavors. The cases of SU(2) and SU(4) gauge theories are also discussed. (orig.)

Phase transitions in nonequilibrium traffic theory

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, H.M.

2000-02-01

This paper uses the center difference scheme of Lax-Friedrichs to numerically solve a newly developed continuum traffic flow theory and the kinematic theory of Lighthill and Whitham, and Richards, and it studies the flow-concentration phase transitions in flow containing both shock and rarefaction waves. A homogeneous road with finite length was modeled by both theories. Numerical simulations show that both theories yield nearly identical results for two representative Riemann problems--one has a shock solution and the other a rarefaction wave solution. Their phase transition curves, however, are different: those derived from the new theory have two branches--one for acceleration flow and one for deceleration flow, whereas those derived from the LWR theory comprise a single curve--the equilibrium curve. The phase transition curves in the shock case agree well with certain experimental observations but disagree with others. This disagreement may be resolved by studying transitions among nonequilibrium states, which awaits further development of a more accurate finite difference approximation of the nonequilibrium theory.

Dynamical quantum phase transitions: a review

Science.gov (United States)

Heyl, Markus

2018-05-01

Quantum theory provides an extensive framework for the description of the equilibrium properties of quantum matter. Yet experiments in quantum simulators have now opened up a route towards the generation of quantum states beyond this equilibrium paradigm. While these states promise to show properties not constrained by equilibrium principles, such as the equal a priori probability of the microcanonical ensemble, identifying the general properties of nonequilibrium quantum dynamics remains a major challenge, especially in view of the lack of conventional concepts such as free energies. The theory of dynamical quantum phase transitions attempts to identify such general principles by lifting the concept of phase transitions to coherent quantum real-time evolution. This review provides a pedagogical introduction to this field. Starting from the general setting of nonequilibrium dynamics in closed quantum many-body systems, we give the definition of dynamical quantum phase transitions as phase transitions in time with physical quantities becoming nonanalytic at critical times. We summarize the achieved theoretical advances as well as the first experimental observations, and furthermore provide an outlook to major open questions as well as future directions of research.

Dynamical quantum phase transitions: a review.

Science.gov (United States)

Heyl, Markus

2018-05-01

Quantum theory provides an extensive framework for the description of the equilibrium properties of quantum matter. Yet experiments in quantum simulators have now opened up a route towards the generation of quantum states beyond this equilibrium paradigm. While these states promise to show properties not constrained by equilibrium principles, such as the equal a priori probability of the microcanonical ensemble, identifying the general properties of nonequilibrium quantum dynamics remains a major challenge, especially in view of the lack of conventional concepts such as free energies. The theory of dynamical quantum phase transitions attempts to identify such general principles by lifting the concept of phase transitions to coherent quantum real-time evolution. This review provides a pedagogical introduction to this field. Starting from the general setting of nonequilibrium dynamics in closed quantum many-body systems, we give the definition of dynamical quantum phase transitions as phase transitions in time with physical quantities becoming nonanalytic at critical times. We summarize the achieved theoretical advances as well as the first experimental observations, and furthermore provide an outlook to major open questions as well as future directions of research.

Density Functional Theory for Phase-Ordering Transitions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wu, Jianzhong [Univ. of California, Riverside, CA (United States)

2016-03-30

Colloids display astonishing structural and dynamic properties that can be dramatically altered by modest changes in the solution condition or an external field. This complex behavior stems from a subtle balance of colloidal forces and intriguing mesoscopic and macroscopic phase transitions that are sensitive to the processing conditions and the dispersing environment. Whereas the knowledge on the microscopic structure and phase behavior of colloidal systems at equilibrium is now well-advanced, quantitative predictions of the dynamic properties and the kinetics of phase-ordering transitions in colloids are not always realized. Many important mesoscopic and off-equilibrium colloidal states remain poorly understood. The proposed research aims to develop a new, unifying approach to describe colloidal dynamics and the kinetics of phase-ordering transitions based on accomplishments from previous work for the equilibrium properties of both uniform and inhomogeneous systems and on novel concepts from the state-of-the-art dynamic density functional theory. In addition to theoretical developments, computational research is designed to address a number of fundamental questions on phase-ordering transitions in colloids, in particular those pertinent to a competition of the dynamic pathways leading to various mesoscopic structures, off-equilibrium states, and crystalline phases. By providing a generic theoretical framework to describe equilibrium, metastable as well as non-ergodic phase transitions concurrent with the colloidal self-assembly processes, accomplishments from this work will have major impacts on both fundamental research and technological applications.

Problem-solving phase transitions during team collaboration

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wiltshire, Travis; Butner, Jonathan E.; Fiore, Stephen M.

2018-01-01

) with dynamical systems theory suggesting that when a system is undergoing a phase transition it should exhibit a peak in entropy and that entropy levels should also relate to team performance. Communications from 40 teams that collaborated on a complex problem were coded for occurrence of problem......-solving processes. We applied a sliding window entropy technique to each team's communications and specified criteria for (a) identifying data points that qualify as peaks and (b) determining which peaks were robust. We used multilevel modeling, and provide a qualitative example, to evaluate whether phases exhibit...... phases. Peaks in entropy thus corresponded to qualitative shifts in teams’ CPS communications, providing empirical evidence that teams exhibit phase transitions during CPS. Also, lower average levels of entropy at the phase transition points predicted better CPS performance. We specify future directions...

Computational advances in transition phase analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morita, K.; Kondo, S.; Tobita, Y.; Shirakawa, N.; Brear, D.J.; Fischer, E.A.

1994-01-01

In this paper, historical perspective and recent advances are reviewed on computational technologies to evaluate a transition phase of core disruptive accidents in liquid-metal fast reactors. An analysis of the transition phase requires treatment of multi-phase multi-component thermohydraulics coupled with space- and energy-dependent neutron kinetics. Such a comprehensive modeling effort was initiated when the program of SIMMER-series computer code development was initiated in the late 1970s in the USA. Successful application of the latest SIMMER-II in USA, western Europe and Japan have proved its effectiveness, but, at the same time, several areas that require further research have been identified. Based on the experience and lessons learned during the SIMMER-II application through 1980s, a new project of SIMMER-III development is underway at the Power Reactor and Nuclear Fuel Development Corporation (PNC), Japan. The models and methods of SIMMER-III are briefly described with emphasis on recent advances in multi-phase multi-component fluid dynamics technologies and their expected implication on a future reliable transition phase analysis. (author)

Critical Line of the Deconfinement Phase Transitions

Science.gov (United States)

Gorenstein, Mark I.

Phase diagram of strongly interacting matter is discussed within the exactly solvable statistical model of the quark-gluon bags. The model predicts two phases of matter: the hadron gas at a low temperature T and baryonic chemical potential μ B , and the quark-gluon gas at a high T and/or μ B . The nature of the phase transition depends on a form of the bag massvolume spectrum (its pre-exponential factor), which is expected to change with the μ B /T ratio. It is therefore likely that the line of the 1 st order transition at a high μ B/T ratio is followed by the line of the 2 nd order phase transition at an intermediate μ B/T, and then by the lines of "higher order transitions" at a low μ B /T. This talk is based on a recent paper (Gorenstein, Gaździcki, and Greiner, 2005).

The MSSM Electroweak Phase Transition on the Lattice

CERN Document Server

Laine, Mikko

1998-01-01

We study the MSSM finite temperature electroweak phase transition with lattice Monte Carlo simulations, for a large Higgs mass (m_H ~ 95 GeV) and light stop masses (m_tR ~ 150...160 GeV). We employ a 3d effective field theory approach, where the degrees of freedom appearing in the action are the SU(2) and SU(3) gauge fields, the weakly interacting Higgs doublet, and the strongly interacting stop triplet. We determine the phase diagram, the critical temperatures, the scalar field expectation values, the latent heat, the interface tension and the correlation lengths at the phase transition points. Extrapolating the results to the infinite volume and continuum limits, we find that the transition is stronger than indicated by 2-loop perturbation theory, guaranteeing that the MSSM phase transition is strong enough for baryogenesis in this regime. We also study the possibility of a two-stage phase transition, in which the stop field gets an expectation value in an intermediate phase. We find that a two-stage transi...

Hadronization during quark-gluon plasma phase transition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mohanty, A.K.; Kataria, S.K.

1996-01-01

The hadron multiplicity distributions and factorial moments are studied in the framework of Landau theory of phase transitions. The factorial moments show a scaling law with a scaling exponent ν which characterizes the intermittency properties of the hadron phase for T c (or T t ) where T c (or T t ) is the transition temperature for second (or first) order transition. The scaling exponent ν is weakly dependent on the free energy parameters as well as on temperature. It is shown that ν remains practically constant in the hadron phase for which T c or T t whether the transition is second order or first order of second kind where the free energy expansion includes cubic term. This universality in the scaling exponent is also maintained above T c over a wide range of temperature even if the transition is strongly first order of first kind where the free energy expansion has only even order coefficients, except around the critical temperature T t where T t approx-gt T c . Therefore, the scaling exponent ν is rather more universal and only indicates the presence of a possible phase transition. It is further shown that the hadron multiplicity distribution is quite sensitive to the free energy parameters. The study of hadron multiplicity distribution at various resolution or bin size reveals more information about the dynamics of the phase transition. The calculated hadron multiplicity distributions are also compared with the negative binomial distribution, often used to explain the experimental multiplicity distributions. copyright 1996 The American Physical Society

Two kinds of phase transitions in a voting model

Science.gov (United States)

Hisakado, M.; Mori, S.

2012-08-01

In this paper, we discuss a voting model with two candidates, C0 and C1. We consider two types of voters—herders and independents. The voting of independents is based on their fundamental values, while the voting of herders is based on the number of previous votes. We can identify two kinds of phase transitions. One is an information cascade transition similar to a phase transition seen in the Ising model. The other is a transition of super and normal diffusions. These phase transitions coexist. We compared our results to the conclusions of experiments and identified the phase transitions in the upper limit of the time t by using the analysis of human behavior obtained from experiments.

Quarks-bags phase transition in quantum chromodynamics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gorenshtejn, M.I.

1981-01-01

Phase transitions in the quark-gluon plasma are considered at finite temperatures and chemical potentials. A phenomenological account for a complicated structure of the QCD vacuum results in the necessity to use the formalism of isobaric ensembles to describe the system. The phase transition curve separating the regions of the quark-gluon plasma and the hadronic bag phase in the μT plane is calculated [ru

Phase Transitions in Algebraic Cluster Models

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yepez-Martinez, H.; Cseh, J.; Hess, P.O.

2006-01-01

Complete text of publication follows. Phase transitions in nuclear systems are of utmost interest. An interesting class of phase transitions can be seen in algebraic models of nuclear structure. They are called shapephase transitions due to the following reason. These models have analytically solvable limiting cases, called dynamical symmetries, which are characterized by a chain of nested subgroups. They correspond to well-defined geometrical shape and behaviour, e.g. to rotation of an ellipsoid, or spherical vibration. The general case of the model, which includes interactions described by more than one groupchain, breaks the symmetry, and changing the relative strengths of these interactions, one can go from one shape to the other. In doing so a phase-transition can be seen. A phase transition is defined as a discontinuity of some quantity as a function of the control parameter, which gives the relative strength of the interactions of different symmetries. Real phase transitions can take place only in infinite systems, like in the classical limits of these algebraic models, when the particle number N is very large: N → ∞. For finite N the discontinuities are smoothed out, nevertheless, some indications of the phase-transitions can still be there. A controlled way of breaking the dynamical symmetries may reveal another very interesting phenomenon, i.e. the appearance of a quasidynamical (or effective) symmetry. This rather general symmetry-concept of quantum mechanics corresponds to a situation, in which the symmetry-breaking interactions are so strong that the energy-eigenfunctions are not symmetric, i.e. are not basis states of an irreducible representation of the symmetry group, rather they are linear combinations of these basis states. However, they are very special linear combinations in the sense that their coefficients are (approximately) identical for states with different spin values. When this is the case, then the underlying intrinsic state is the

Unconventional transformation of spin Dirac phase across a topological quantum phase transition

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Su-Yang; Neupane, Madhab; Belopolski, Ilya; Liu, Chang; Alidoust, Nasser; Bian, Guang; Jia, Shuang; Landolt, Gabriel; Slomski, Batosz; Dil, J. Hugo; Shibayev, Pavel P.; Basak, Susmita; Chang, Tay-Rong; Jeng, Horng-Tay; Cava, Robert J.; Lin, Hsin; Bansil, Arun; Hasan, M. Zahid

2015-01-01

The topology of a topological material can be encoded in its surface states. These surface states can only be removed by a bulk topological quantum phase transition into a trivial phase. Here we use photoemission spectroscopy to image the formation of protected surface states in a topological insulator as we chemically tune the system through a topological transition. Surprisingly, we discover an exotic spin-momentum locked, gapped surface state in the trivial phase that shares many important properties with the actual topological surface state in anticipation of the change of topology. Using a spin-resolved measurement, we show that apart from a surface bandgap these states develop spin textures similar to the topological surface states well before the transition. Our results offer a general paradigm for understanding how surface states in topological phases arise from a quantum phase transition and are suggestive for the future realization of Weyl arcs, condensed matter supersymmetry and other fascinating phenomena in the vicinity of a quantum criticality. PMID:25882717

Chiral-nematic liquid crystals as one dimensional photonic materials in optical sensors

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mulder, D.J.; Schenning, A.P.H.J.; Bastiaansen, C.W.M.

2014-01-01

Current developments in the field of thermotropic chiral-nematic liquid crystals as sensors are discussed. These one dimensional photonic materials are based on low molecular weight liquid crystals and chiral-nematic polymeric networks. For both low molecular weight LCs and polymer networks,

Quantum trajectory phase transitions in the micromaser.

Science.gov (United States)

Garrahan, Juan P; Armour, Andrew D; Lesanovsky, Igor

2011-08-01

We study the dynamics of the single-atom maser, or micromaser, by means of the recently introduced method of thermodynamics of quantum jump trajectories. We find that the dynamics of the micromaser displays multiple space-time phase transitions, i.e., phase transitions in ensembles of quantum jump trajectories. This rich dynamical phase structure becomes apparent when trajectories are classified by dynamical observables that quantify dynamical activity, such as the number of atoms that have changed state while traversing the cavity. The space-time transitions can be either first order or continuous, and are controlled not just by standard parameters of the micromaser but also by nonequilibrium "counting" fields. We discuss how the dynamical phase behavior relates to the better known stationary-state properties of the micromaser.

Molecular active plasmonics: controlling plasmon resonances with molecular machines

KAUST Repository

Zheng, Yue Bing

2009-08-26

The paper studies the molecular-level active control of localized surface plasmon resonances (LSPRs) of Au nanodisk arrays with molecular machines. Two types of molecular machines - azobenzene and rotaxane - have been demonstrated to enable the reversible tuning of the LSPRs via the controlled mechanical movements. Azobenzene molecules have the property of trans-cis photoisomerization and enable the photo-induced nematic (N)-isotropic (I) phase transition of the liquid crystals (LCs) that contain the molecules as dopant. The phase transition of the azobenzene-doped LCs causes the refractive-index difference of the LCs, resulting in the reversible peak shift of the LSPRs of the embedded Au nanodisks due to the sensitivity of the LSPRs to the disks\\' surroundings\\' refractive index. Au nanodisk array, coated with rotaxanes, switches its LSPRs reversibly when it is exposed to chemical oxidants and reductants alternatively. The correlation between the peak shift of the LSPRs and the chemically driven mechanical movement of rotaxanes is supported by control experiments and a time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT)-based, microscopic model.

Molecular active plasmonics: controlling plasmon resonances with molecular machines

KAUST Repository

Zheng, Yue Bing; Yang, Ying-Wei; Jensen, Lasse; Fang, Lei; Juluri, Bala Krishna; Flood, Amar H.; Weiss, Paul S.; Stoddart, J. Fraser; Huang, Tony Jun

2009-01-01

The paper studies the molecular-level active control of localized surface plasmon resonances (LSPRs) of Au nanodisk arrays with molecular machines. Two types of molecular machines - azobenzene and rotaxane - have been demonstrated to enable the reversible tuning of the LSPRs via the controlled mechanical movements. Azobenzene molecules have the property of trans-cis photoisomerization and enable the photo-induced nematic (N)-isotropic (I) phase transition of the liquid crystals (LCs) that contain the molecules as dopant. The phase transition of the azobenzene-doped LCs causes the refractive-index difference of the LCs, resulting in the reversible peak shift of the LSPRs of the embedded Au nanodisks due to the sensitivity of the LSPRs to the disks' surroundings' refractive index. Au nanodisk array, coated with rotaxanes, switches its LSPRs reversibly when it is exposed to chemical oxidants and reductants alternatively. The correlation between the peak shift of the LSPRs and the chemically driven mechanical movement of rotaxanes is supported by control experiments and a time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT)-based, microscopic model.

An absorbing phase transition from a structured active particle phase

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lopez, Cristobal [Instituto Mediterraneo de Estudios Avanzados IMEDEA (CSIC-UIB), Campus de la Universidad de las Islas Baleares, E-07122 Palma de Mallorca (Spain); Ramos, Francisco [Departamento de Electromagnetismo y Fisica de la Materia and Instituto de Fisica Teorica y Computacional Carlos I, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, 18071 Granada (Spain); Hernandez-GarcIa, Emilio [Instituto Mediterraneo de Estudios Avanzados IMEDEA (CSIC-UIB), Campus de la Universidad de las Islas Baleares, E-07122 Palma de Mallorca (Spain)

2007-02-14

In this work we study the absorbing state phase transition of a recently introduced model for interacting particles with neighbourhood-dependent reproduction rates. The novelty of the transition is that as soon as the active phase is reached by increasing a control parameter a periodically arranged structure of particle clusters appears. A numerical study in one and two dimensions shows that the system falls into the directed percolation universality class.

Liquid-liquid phase transition in Stillinger-Weber silicon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beaucage, Philippe; Mousseau, Normand

2005-01-01

It was recently demonstrated that Stillinger-Weber silicon undergoes a liquid-liquid first-order phase transition deep into the supercooled region (Sastry and Angell 2003 Nat. Mater. 2 739). Here we study the effects of perturbations on this phase transition. We show that the order of the liquid-liquid transition changes with negative pressure. We also find that the liquid-liquid transition disappears when the three-body term of the potential is strengthened by as little as 5%. This implies that the details of the potential could affect strongly the nature and even the existence of the liquid-liquid phase

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.

Singlet Higgs phenomenology and the electroweak phase transition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Profumo, Stefano; Ramsey-Musolf, Michael J.; Shaughnessy, Gabe

2007-01-01

We study the phenomenology of gauge singlet extensions of the Standard Model scalar sector and their implications for the electroweak phase transition. We determine the conditions on the scalar potential parameters that lead to a strong first order phase transition as needed to produce the observed baryon asymmetry of the universe. We analyze the constraints on the potential parameters derived from Higgs boson searches at LEP and electroweak precision observables. For models that satisfy these constraints and that produce a strong first order phase transition, we discuss the prospective signatures in future Higgs studies at the Large Hadron Collider and a Linear Collider. We argue that such studies will provide powerful probes of phase transition dynamics in models with an extended scalar sector

paraelectric phase transition

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

The ferroelectric phase transition is diffuse in nature and broadening of the peak increases with La content. Keywords. PLZT ... Marssi et al (1998) concluded the PLZTs x/65/35 as a model. ∗ ... by analysing field cooled (FC) and zero field cooled (ZFC) dielectric ... material are fitted with universal dielectric behaviour within.

Phase-transition-like behaviour of quantum games

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Du Jiangfeng; Li Hui; Xu Xiaodong; Zhou Xianyi; Han Rongdian

2003-01-01

The discontinuous dependence of the properties of a quantum game on its entanglement has been shown to be very much like phase transitions viewed in the entanglement-payoff diagram (J Du et al 2002 Phys. Rev. Lett. 88 137902). In this paper we investigate such phase-transition-like behaviour of quantum games, by suggesting a method which would help to illuminate the origin of such a kind of behaviour. For the particular case of the generalized Prisoners' Dilemma, we find that, for different settings of the numerical values in the payoff table, even though the classical game behaves the same, the quantum game exhibits different and interesting phase-transition-like behaviour

Phase-transition-like behaviour of quantum games

CERN Document Server

Du Jiang Feng; Xu Xiao Dong; Zhou Xian Yi; Han Rong Dian

2003-01-01

The discontinuous dependence of the properties of a quantum game on its entanglement has been shown to be very much like phase transitions viewed in the entanglement-payoff diagram (J Du et al 2002 Phys. Rev. Lett. 88 137902). In this paper we investigate such phase-transition-like behaviour of quantum games, by suggesting a method which would help to illuminate the origin of such a kind of behaviour. For the particular case of the generalized Prisoners' Dilemma, we find that, for different settings of the numerical values in the payoff table, even though the classical game behaves the same, the quantum game exhibits different and interesting phase-transition-like behaviour.

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.

Observation of the Photon-Blockade Breakdown Phase Transition

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. M. Fink

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Nonequilibrium phase transitions exist in damped-driven open quantum systems when the continuous tuning of an external parameter leads to a transition between two robust steady states. In second-order transitions this change is abrupt at a critical point, whereas in first-order transitions the two phases can coexist in a critical hysteresis domain. Here, we report the observation of a first-order dissipative quantum phase transition in a driven circuit quantum electrodynamics system. It takes place when the photon blockade of the driven cavity-atom system is broken by increasing the drive power. The observed experimental signature is a bimodal phase space distribution with varying weights controlled by the drive strength. Our measurements show an improved stabilization of the classical attractors up to the millisecond range when the size of the quantum system is increased from one to three artificial atoms. The formation of such robust pointer states could be used for new quantum measurement schemes or to investigate multiphoton phases of finite-size, nonlinear, open quantum systems.

Symmetry-Breaking Orbital Anisotropy Observed for Detwinned Ba(Fe1-xCox)2As2 above the Spin Density Wave Transition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yi, Ming

2011-01-01

Nematicity, defined as broken rotational symmetry, has recently been observed in competing phases proximate to the superconducting phase in the cuprate high temperature superconductors. Similarly, the new iron-based high temperature superconductors exhibit a tetragonal to orthorhombic structural transition (i.e. a broken C 4 symmetry) that either precedes or is coincident with a collinear spin density wave (SDW) transition in undoped parent compounds, and superconductivity arises when both transitions are suppressed via doping. Evidence for strong in-plane anisotropy in the SDW state in this family of compounds has been reported by neutron scattering, scanning tunneling microscopy, and transport measurements. Here we present an angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy study of detwinned single crystals of a representative family of electron-doped iron-arsenide superconductors, Ba(Fe 1-x Co x ) 2 As 2 in the underdoped region. The crystals were detwinned via application of in-plane uniaxial stress, enabling measurements of single domain electronic structure in the orthorhombic state. At low temperatures, our results clearly demonstrate an in-plane electronic anisotropy characterized by a large energy splitting of two orthogonal bands with dominant d xz and d yz character, which is consistent with anisotropy observed by other probes. For compositions x > 0, for which the structural transition (T S ) precedes the magnetic transition (T SDW ), an anisotropic splitting is observed to develop above T SDW , indicating that it is specifically associated with T S . For unstressed crystals, the band splitting is observed close to T S , whereas for stressed crystals the splitting is observed to considerably higher temperatures, revealing the presence of a surprisingly large in-plane nematic susceptibility in the electronic structure.

Nonequilibrium thermodynamic fluctuations and phase transition in black holes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Su, R.; Cai, R.; Yu, P.K.N.

1994-01-01

Landau nonequilibrium fluctuation and phase transition theory is applied to the discussion of the phase transition of black holes. Some second moments of relevant thermodynamical quantities for Kerr-Newman black holes are estimated. A theorem governing the divergence of some second moments and the occurrence of the phase transition in black holes is given

Phase transitions and critical behaviour for charged black holes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carlip, S; Vaidya, S

2003-01-01

We investigate the thermodynamics of a four-dimensional charged black hole in a finite cavity in asymptotically flat and asymptotically de Sitter spaces. In each case, we find a Hawking-Page-like phase transition between a black hole and a thermal gas very much like the known transition in asymptotically anti-de Sitter space. For a 'supercooled' black hole - a thermodynamically unstable black hole below the critical temperature for the Hawking-Page phase transition - the phase diagram has a line of first-order phase transitions that terminates in a second-order point. For the asymptotically flat case, we calculate the critical exponents at the second-order phase transition and find that they exactly match the known results for a charged black hole in anti-de Sitter space. We find strong evidence for similar phase transitions for the de Sitter black hole as well. Thus many of the thermodynamic features of charged anti-de Sitter black holes do not really depend on asymptotically anti-de Sitter boundary conditions; the thermodynamics of charged black holes is surprisingly universal

Computer simulation of liquid crystals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McBride, C.

1999-01-01

Molecular dynamics simulation performed on modern computer workstations provides a powerful tool for the investigation of the static and dynamic characteristics of liquid crystal phases. In this thesis molecular dynamics computer simulations have been performed for two model systems. Simulations of 4,4'-di-n-pentyl-bibicyclo[2.2.2]octane demonstrate the growth of a structurally ordered phase directly from an isotropic fluid. This is the first time that this has been achieved for an atomistic model. The results demonstrate a strong coupling between orientational ordering and molecular shape, but indicate that the coupling between molecular conformational changes and molecular reorientation is relatively weak. Simulations have also been performed for a hybrid Gay-Berne/Lennard-Jones model resulting in thermodynamically stable nematic and smectic phases. Frank elastic constants have been calculated for the nematic phase formed by the hybrid model through analysis of the fluctuations of the nematic director, giving results comparable with those found experimentally. Work presented in this thesis also describes the parameterization of the torsional potential of a fragment of a dimethyl siloxane polymer chain, disiloxane diol (HOMe 2 Si) 2 O, using ab initio quantum mechanical calculations. (author)

A grain boundary phase transition in Si–Au

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ma, Shuailei; Meshinchi Asl, Kaveh; Tansarawiput, Chookiat; Cantwell, Patrick R.; Qi, Minghao; Harmer, Martin P.; Luo, Jian

2012-01-01

A grain boundary transition from a bilayer to an intrinsic (nominally clean) boundary is observed in Si–Au. An atomically abrupt transition between the two complexions (grain boundary stabilized phases) implies the occurrence of a first-order interfacial phase transition associated with a discontinuity in the interfacial excess. This observation supports a grain-boundary complexion theory with broad applications. This transition is atypical in that the monolayer complexion is absent. A model is proposed to explain the bilayer stabilization and the origin of this complexion transition.

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.

Phase Transitions in Geomorphology

Science.gov (United States)

Ortiz, C. P.; Jerolmack, D. J.

2015-12-01

Landscapes are patterns in a dynamic steady-state, due to competing processes that smooth or sharpen features over large distances and times. Geomorphic transport laws have been developed to model the mass-flux due to different processes, but are unreasonably effective at recovering the scaling relations of landscape features. Using a continuum approximation to compare experimental landscapes and the observed landscapes of the earth, one finds they share similar morphodynamics despite a breakdown of classical dynamical similarity between the two. We propose the origin of this effectiveness is a different kind of dynamic similarity in the statistics of initiation and cessation of motion of groups of grains, which is common to disordered systems of grains under external driving. We will show how the existing data of sediment transport points to common signatures with dynamical phase transitions between "mobile" and "immobile" phases in other disordered systems, particularly granular materials, colloids, and foams. Viewing landscape evolution from the lens of non-equilibrium statistical physics of disordered systems leads to predictions that the transition of bulk measurements such as particle flux is continuous from one phase to another, that the collective nature of the particle dynamics leads to very slow aging of bulk properties, and that the dynamics are history-dependent. Recent results from sediment transport experiments support these predictions, suggesting that existing geomorphic transport laws may need to be replaced by a new generation of stochastic models with ingredients based on the physics of disordered phase transitions. We discuss possible strategies for extracting the necessary information to develop these models from measurements of geomorphic transport noise by connecting particle-scale collective dynamics and space-time fluctuations over landscape features.

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.

Phase transitions in solids under high pressure

CERN Document Server

Blank, Vladimir Davydovich

2013-01-01

Phase equilibria and kinetics of phase transformations under high pressureEquipment and methods for the study of phase transformations in solids at high pressuresPhase transformations of carbon and boron nitride at high pressure and deformation under pressurePhase transitions in Si and Ge at high pressure and deformation under pressurePolymorphic α-ω transformation in titanium, zirconium and zirconium-titanium alloys Phase transformations in iron and its alloys at high pressure Phase transformations in gallium and ceriumOn the possible polymorphic transformations in transition metals under pressurePressure-induced polymorphic transformations in АIBVII compoundsPhase transformations in AIIBVI and AIIIBV semiconductor compoundsEffect of pressure on the kinetics of phase transformations in iron alloysTransformations during deformation at high pressure Effects due to phase transformations at high pressureKinetics and hysteresis in high-temperature polymorphic transformations under pressureHysteresis and kineti...

Late time phase transition as dark energy

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Abstract. We show that the dark energy field can naturally be described by the scalar condensates of a non-abelian gauge group. This gauge group is unified with the standard model gauge groups and it has a late time phase transition. The small phase transition explains why the positive acceleration of the universe is ...

Phase separation in the nonequilibrium Verwey transition in magnetite

Science.gov (United States)

Randi, F.; Vergara, I.; Novelli, F.; Esposito, M.; Dell'Angela, M.; Brabers, V. A. M.; Metcalf, P.; Kukreja, R.; Dürr, H. A.; Fausti, D.; Grüninger, M.; Parmigiani, F.

2016-02-01

We present equilibrium and out-of-equilibrium studies of the Verwey transition in magnetite. In the equilibrium optical conductivity, we find a steplike change at the phase transition for photon energies below about 2 eV. The possibility of triggering a nonequilibrium transient metallic state in insulating magnetite by photo excitation was recently demonstrated by an x-ray study. Here we report a full characterization of the optical properties in the visible frequency range across the nonequilibrium phase transition. Our analysis of the spectral features is based on a detailed description of the equilibrium properties. The out-of-equilibrium optical data bear the initial electronic response associated to localized photoexcitation, the occurrence of phase separation, and the transition to a transient metallic phase for excitation density larger than a critical value. This allows us to identify the electronic nature of the transient state, to unveil the phase transition dynamics, and to study the consequences of phase separation on the reflectivity, suggesting a spectroscopic feature that may be generally linked to out-of-equilibrium phase separation.

Liquid-liquid phase transition and glass transition in a monoatomic model system.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Limei; Buldyrev, Sergey V; Giovambattista, Nicolas; Stanley, H Eugene

2010-01-01

We review our recent study on the polyamorphism of the liquid and glass states in a monatomic system, a two-scale spherical-symmetric Jagla model with both attractive and repulsive interactions. This potential with a parametrization for which crystallization can be avoided and both the glass transition and the liquid-liquid phase transition are clearly separated, displays water-like anomalies as well as polyamorphism in both liquid and glassy states, providing a unique opportunity to study the interplay between the liquid-liquid phase transition and the glass transition. Our study on a simple model may be useful in understanding recent studies of polyamorphism in metallic glasses.

Liquid-Liquid Phase Transition and Glass Transition in a Monoatomic Model System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nicolas Giovambattista

2010-12-01

Full Text Available We review our recent study on the polyamorphism of the liquid and glass states in a monatomic system, a two-scale spherical-symmetric Jagla model with both attractive and repulsive interactions. This potential with a parametrization for which crystallization can be avoided and both the glass transition and the liquid-liquid phase transition are clearly separated, displays water-like anomalies as well as polyamorphism in both liquid and glassy states, providing a unique opportunity to study the interplay between the liquid-liquid phase transition and the glass transition. Our study on a simple model may be useful in understanding recent studies of polyamorphism in metallic glasses.

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.

Investigation of a polymer-dispersed liquid crystal system by NMR diffusometry and relaxometry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tang, Mingxue

2013-02-26

Polymer-dispersed liquid crystals (PDLCs) are polymer composites containing a dispersion of liquid crystal droplets in polymer networks. PDLCs have attracted much attention due to their unique properties and potential usage. The properties of PDLCs depend on the degree of phase separation and the size of liquid crystal droplets. To investigate the structure will help us to better understand and optimize PDLCs.The main aim of this PhD thesis was to investigate PDLCs by NMR techniques. Diffusion constants and spin-lattice relaxation times in the laboratory (T{sub 1}) and rotating frame (T{sub 1{rho}}) were measured for PDLCs as well as precursor mixtures based on the trifunctional monomer trimethylolpropane triacrylate (TMPTA) and the commercial nematic mixture E7. The variation of the main dipolar splitting of {sup 1}H spectra with increasing temperature was analyzed to obtain the nematic-to-isotropic phase transition temperature and the nematic order parameter of E7 and, for comparison, the nematic liquid crystal 5CB.Diffusion constants in TMPTA/E7 mixtures, measured by pulsed-field gradient NMR, increase for both E7 and TMPTA as the mass fraction of E7 increases, due to the lower viscosity of E7. E7 in the PDLC diffuses more slowly than in the bulk because of the hindrance by the polymer matrix. T{sub 1} and T{sub 1{rho}} relaxation times in the liquid or liquid-crystalline phases of TMPTA and bulk E7 are higher than in the PDLC and the pure polymer, due to the lower mobility in the polymer samples. T{sub 1{rho}} in the PDLC is even shorter than in the pure polymer, indicating an anti-softening effect caused by E7 molecules. In bulk E7, the well-ordered rod-like molecules exhibit a unique H-C dipolar coupling, which leads to oscillations in the cross-polarization curve. However, in the PDLC, the anchoring effect at the boundary between the polymer and LC droplets disturbs the molecular order resulting in a smooth cross polarization curve.

Investigation of a polymer-dispersed liquid crystal system by NMR diffusometry and relaxometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tang, Mingxue

2013-01-01

Polymer-dispersed liquid crystals (PDLCs) are polymer composites containing a dispersion of liquid crystal droplets in polymer networks. PDLCs have attracted much attention due to their unique properties and potential usage. The properties of PDLCs depend on the degree of phase separation and the size of liquid crystal droplets. To investigate the structure will help us to better understand and optimize PDLCs.The main aim of this PhD thesis was to investigate PDLCs by NMR techniques. Diffusion constants and spin-lattice relaxation times in the laboratory (T 1 ) and rotating frame (T 1ρ ) were measured for PDLCs as well as precursor mixtures based on the trifunctional monomer trimethylolpropane triacrylate (TMPTA) and the commercial nematic mixture E7. The variation of the main dipolar splitting of 1 H spectra with increasing temperature was analyzed to obtain the nematic-to-isotropic phase transition temperature and the nematic order parameter of E7 and, for comparison, the nematic liquid crystal 5CB.Diffusion constants in TMPTA/E7 mixtures, measured by pulsed-field gradient NMR, increase for both E7 and TMPTA as the mass fraction of E7 increases, due to the lower viscosity of E7. E7 in the PDLC diffuses more slowly than in the bulk because of the hindrance by the polymer matrix. T 1 and T 1ρ relaxation times in the liquid or liquid-crystalline phases of TMPTA and bulk E7 are higher than in the PDLC and the pure polymer, due to the lower mobility in the polymer samples. T 1ρ in the PDLC is even shorter than in the pure polymer, indicating an anti-softening effect caused by E7 molecules. In bulk E7, the well-ordered rod-like molecules exhibit a unique H-C dipolar coupling, which leads to oscillations in the cross-polarization curve. However, in the PDLC, the anchoring effect at the boundary between the polymer and LC droplets disturbs the molecular order resulting in a smooth cross polarization curve.

Towards the theory of the electroweak phase transition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dine, M.; Leigh, R.G.; Huet, P.; Linde, A.; Linde, D.

1992-01-01

We investigate various problems related to the theory of the electroweak phase transition. This includes determination of the nature of the phase transition, discussion of the possible role of the higher-order radiative corrections, and the theory of the formation and evolution of bubbles of the new phase. We show, in particular, that no dangerous linear terms in the scalar field φ appear in the expression for the effective potential. We have found that, for the Higgs-boson mass smaller than the masses of W and Z bosons, the phase transition is of the first order. However, its strength is approximately 2/3 times less than what follows from the one-loop approximation. The phase transition occurs due to production and expansion of critical bubbles. Subcritical bubbles may be important only if the phase transition is very weakly first order. A general analytic expression for the probability of the bubble formation is obtained, which may be used for study of tunneling in a wide class of theories. The bubble-wall velocity depends on many factors, including the ratio of the mean free path of the particles to the thickness of the wall. Thin walls in the electroweak theory have a nonrelativistic velocity, whereas thick walls may be relativistic. A decrease of the cubic term by the factor 2/3 rules our baryogenesis in the minimal version of the electroweak theory. Even though we concentrate in this paper on the phase transition in this theory, most of our results can be applied to more general models as well, where baryogenesis is possible