Home
For authors
Submission status

Archive
Archive (English)
Current
   Volumes 113-119
   Volumes 93-112
      Volume 112
      Volume 111
      Volume 110
      Volume 109
      Volume 108
      Volume 107
      Volume 106
      Volume 105
      Volume 104
      Volume 103
      Volume 102
      Volume 101
      Volume 100
      Volume 99
      Volume 98
      Volume 97
      Volume 96
      Volume 95
      Volume 94
      Volume 93
Search
VOLUME 105 (2017) | ISSUE 4 | PAGE 229
Fluctuational shift of nematic-isotropic phase transition temperature
DOI: 10.7868/S0370274X17040087
Abstract
In this work we discuss a macroscopic counterpart to the microscopic mechanism of the straightening dimer mesogens conformations, proposed recently by S.M. Saliti, M.G. Tamba, S.N. Sprunt, C. Welch, G.H. Mehl, A. Jakli, J.T. Gleeson (Phys. Rev. Lett. 116, 217801 (2016)) to explain their experimental observation of the unprecedentedly large shift of the nematic - isotropic transition temperature. Our interpretation is based on singular longitudinal fluctuations of the nematic order parameter. Since these fluctuations are governed by the Goldstone director fluctuations they exist only in the nematic state. External magnetic field suppresses the singular longitudinal fluctuations of the order parameter (similarly as it is the case for the transverse director fluctuations, although with a different scaling over the magnetic field). The reduction of the fluctuations changes the equilibrium value of the modulus of the order parameter in the nematic state. Therefore it leads to additional (with respect to the mean field contribution) fluctuational shift of the nematic - isotropic transition temperature. Our mechanism works for any nematic liquid crystals, however the magnitude of the fluctuational shift increases with decrease of the Frank elastic moduli. Since some of these moduli supposed to be anomalously small for so-called bent-core or dimer nematic liquid crystals, just these liquid crystals are promising candidates for the observation of the predicted fluctuational shift of the phase transition temperature.