Evidence For A Supercritical ‘Transition’ To The Isotropic Phase In A Highly Chiral Liquid Crystal

Authors

Z. KutnjakFollow
C. W. Garland
John Loren Passmore , '94
Peter J. Collings, Swarthmore CollegeFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

6-12-1995

Published In

Physical Review Letters

Abstract

The results of two independent experiments in the vicinity of the “transition” from the third blue phase (BPIII) to isotropic phase (I) are reported for a highly chiral liquid crystal. Heat capacity measurements using a high-resolution calorimeter and dynamic light-scattering measurements using circularly polarized light have been performed. The data show a continuous evolution of BPIII into I with no critical fluctuations. This is strong evidence that the BPIII-I transition in this compound is supercritical, indicating that the BPIII and I phases possess the same macroscopic symmetry.

Comments

This work is freely available courtesy of the American Physical Society.

Recommended Citation

Z. Kutnjak et al. (1995). "Evidence For A Supercritical ‘Transition’ To The Isotropic Phase In A Highly Chiral Liquid Crystal". Physical Review Letters. Volume 74, Issue 24. 4859-4862. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.74.4859
https://works.swarthmore.edu/fac-physics/226