Possible new phase of antagonistic nematogens in a disorienting field

T G Sokolovska, M E Cates, R O Sokolovskii

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Abstract / Description of output

A simple model is proposed for nematogenic molecules that favor perpendicular orientations as well as parallel ones. (Charged rods, for example, show this antagonistic tendency.) When a small disorienting field is applied along z, a low-density phase N- of nematic order parameter S-z<0 coexists with a dense biaxial nematic N-b. (At zero field, N- becomes isotropic and N-b uniaxial.) But at stronger fields, a new phase N+4, invariant under &pi;/2 rotations around the field axis, appears in between N- and N-b. Prospects for finding the N+4 phase experimentally are briefly discussed.

Original languageEnglish
Article number235701
Pages (from-to)-
Number of pages4
JournalPhysical Review Letters
Volume90
Issue number23
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 13 Jun 2003

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