OBSERVATION OF A CHIRAL-SYMMETRY-BREAKING TWIST-BEND INSTABILITY IN ACHIRAL FREELY SUSPENDED LIQUID-CRYSTAL FILMS

Authors
PANG JH CLARK NA
Citation
Jh. Pang et Na. Clark, OBSERVATION OF A CHIRAL-SYMMETRY-BREAKING TWIST-BEND INSTABILITY IN ACHIRAL FREELY SUSPENDED LIQUID-CRYSTAL FILMS, Physical review letters, 73(17), 1994, pp. 2332-2335
Citations number
22
Categorie Soggetti
Physics
Journal title
Physical review letters → ACNP
ISSN journal
00319007
Volume
73
Issue
17
Year of publication
1994
Pages
2332 - 2335
Database
ISI
SICI code
0031-9007(1994)73:17<2332:OOACTI>2.0.ZU;2-G
Abstract
Freely suspended smectic-C films, 2, 3, and 4 layers in thickness, of the achiral compound C7F15CH2O-phi-COO-phi-OC6H13 exhibit a thermotrop ic transition at which the uniform two-dimensional smectic-C molecular orientation field becomes modulated by a periodic bend wave soliton. No such transition is found in single-layer firms. This transition is interpreted as a chiral-symmetry-breaking transition, marking the spon taneous appearance of frustrated local bend.