Degeneracy lifting due to thermal fluctuations around the frustration point between anticlinic antiferroelectric SmCA* and synclinic ferroelectric SmC*
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2013Access:
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Sandhya, K.L., Chandani, A.D.L., Fukuda, A., Vij, J.K., Emelyanenko, A.V., Ishikawa, K., Degeneracy lifting due to thermal fluctuations around the frustration point between anticlinic antiferroelectric SmCA* and synclinic ferroelectric SmC*, Physical Review E - Statistical, Nonlinear, and Soft Matter Physics, 87, 1, 2013, 012502-Download Item:
PhysRevE.87.012502.pdf (Published (publisher's copy)) 1.368Mb
Abstract:
In the binary mixture phase diagram of MC881 and MC452, the borderline between anticlinic antiferroelectric SmC?A and synclinic ferroelectric SmC? becomes apparently parallel to the temperature ordinate axis at the critical concentration rc. The free energy difference between SmC?A and SmC? is extremely small in a wide temperature range near rc. In such circumstances, by observing Bragg reflection spectra due to the director helical structure and electric-field-induced birefringence, we have observed the continuous change from SmC?A to SmC? for r?rc and the gradual growth of the full-pitch band over 5 ?C or more in the apparent SmC? temperature region for r?rc. These intriguing phenomena have been explained, successfully at least in the high-temperature region, by a thermal equilibrium between the synclinic and anticlinic orderings and the resulting Boltzmann distribution for the ratio between them; the thermal equilibrium is considered to be attained in a nonuniform defect-assisted way through solitary waves moving around dynamically. We have also discussed qualitatively an important role played by the effective long-range interlayer interactions in the low-temperature region.
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Irish Research Council for Science and Engineering Technology (IRCSET)
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http://people.tcd.ie/jvijhttp://people.tcd.ie/atsuof
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Author: VIJ, JAGDISH; FUKUDA, ATSUO
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Physical Review E - Statistical, Nonlinear, and Soft Matter Physics87
1
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.87.012502Licences: