1,043 research outputs found
Supercritical Conversion Of The 3rd Blue Phase To The Isotropic-Phase In A Highly Chiral Liquid-Crystal
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
Phase Diagrams For The Blue Phases Of Highly Chiral Liquid Crystals
Polarizing microscopy and optical-activity measurements are used to determine the phase diagram for the blue phases of chiral-racemic mixtures of terephthaloyloxy-bis-4-(2\u27-methylbutyl) benzoate. Contrary to an earlier report, it is the second blue phase (BP II) rather than the first blue phase (BP 1) that is not stable relative to the other blue phases at high chirality. With this development, all phase diagrams for the blue phases reported to date have the same topology. Using similar data for two other highly chiral systems, it is found that a simple scaling of the temperature and chiral-fraction axes produces phase diagrams in quantitative agreement with the present results. Thus, in spite of differences in molecular structure, the number of chiral centers, and phase-transition temperatures, these three systems possess remarkably similar phase diagrams and lend evidence for a universal phase diagram for the blue phases
Autocorrelation Of Electrical Noise - An Undergraduate Experiment
An undergraduate experiment is described in which the output of a noise generator is sampled by a computer equipped with a data acquisition board, after which the autocorrelation function is calculated. If the output of the noise generator passes through a low‐pass filter before it is sampled by the computer, then the autocorrelation function is a decreasing exponential function with a decay constant equal to the time constant of the low‐pass filter. The theory necessary to understand this phenomenon involves basic concepts in electrical noise, the analysis of linear systems, and Fourier transforms. In this paper the theoretical background for the experiment is discussed, typical data are presented, and a full analysis of these data is described
Pretransitional Optical Activity In Chiral Smectic Liquid Crystals
Pretransitional optical activity measurements in smectic liquid crystals of both law and high chirality are reported. In the low chirality sample, p-(n-(decyloxybenzylidene)-p-amino-(2-methylbutyl)cin-namate (DOBAMBC), the results indicate that the optical activity in both the isotropic phase just above the smectic A phase and in the smectic A phase just above the smectic C* phase can be explained in terms of a Landau-deGennes free energy with no coupling between the chiral modes. In the high chirality sample, 1-methylheptyl 4′-[(4″-tetradecyloxyphenyl)propioloyloxy]biphenyl-4-carboxylate (14P|M7), the data in the isotropic phase above the recently discovered smectic A* phase cannot be explained in this way, even when coupling between the chiral modes is considered. Whether this is due to some feature of the smectic A* phase or is simply the result of strong coupling between the orientational and positional order parameters is a question which remains unanswered
Effective index of refraction, optical rotation, and circular dichroism in isotropic chiral liquid crystals
This paper concerns optical properties of the isotropic phase above the
isotropic-cholesteric transition and of the blue phase BP III. We introduce an
effective index, which describes spatial dispersion effects such as optical
rotation, circular dichroism, and the modification of the average index due to
the fluctuations. We derive the wavelength dependance of these spatial
dispersion effects quite generally without relying on an expansion in powers of
the chirality and without assuming that the pitch of the cholesteric is
much shorter than the wavelength of the light , an approximation which
has been made in previous studies of this problem. The theoretical predictions
are supported by comparing them with experimental spectra of the optical
activity in the BP III phase.Comment: 15 pages and 7 figures. Submitted to PR
Prospects for Improving the Intrinsic and Extrinsic Properties of Magnesium Diboride Superconducting Strands
The magnetic and transport properties of magnesium diboride films represent
performance goals yet to be attained by powder-processed bulk samples and
conductors. Such performance limits are still out of the reach of even the best
magnesium diboride magnet wire. In discussing the present status and prospects
for improving the performance of powder-based wire we focus attention on (1)
the intrinsic (intragrain) superconducting properties of magnesium diboride,
Hc2 and flux pinning, (2) factors that control the efficiency with which
current is transported from grain-to-grain in the conductor, an extrinsic
(intergrain) property. With regard to Item-(1), the role of dopants in Hc2
enhancement is discussed and examples presented. On the other hand their roles
in increasing Jc, both via Hc2 enhancement as well as direct
fluxoid/pining-center interaction, are discussed and a comprehensive survey of
Hc2 dopants and flux-pinning additives is presented. Current transport through
the powder-processed wire (an extrinsic property) is partially blocked by the
inherent granularity of the material itself and the chemical or other
properties of the intergrain surfaces. These and other such results indicate
that in many cases less than 15% of the conductor's cross sectional area is
able to carry transport current. It is pointed out that densification in
association with the elimination of grain-boundary blocking phases would yield
five-to ten-fold increases in Jc in relevant regimes, enabling the performance
of magnesium diboride in selected applications to compete with that of Nb-Sn
Deposition And Drying Dynamics Of Liquid Crystal Droplets
Drop drying and deposition phenomena reveal a rich interplay of fundamental science and engineering, give rise to fascinating everyday effects (coffee rings), and influence technologies ranging from printing to genotyping. Here we investigate evaporation dynamics, morphology, and deposition patterns of drying lyotropic chromonic liquid crystal droplets. These drops differ from typical evaporating colloidal drops primarily due to their concentration-dependent isotropic, nematic, and columnar phases. Phase separation occurs during evaporation, and in the process creates surface tension gradients and significant density and viscosity variation within the droplet. As a result, the drying multiphase drops exhibit different convective currents, drop morphologies, and deposition patterns (coffee-rings)
Evidence For A Supercritical ‘Transition’ To The Isotropic Phase In A Highly Chiral Liquid Crystal
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
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