Hexatic order in thin smectic-{ital F} liquid-crystal films
- Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139 (United States)
We report a synchrotron x-ray study of the stacked hexatic smectic-{ital F} phase and the smectic-{ital F} (Sm-{ital F}){r_arrow}smectic-{ital C} (Sm-{ital C}) phase transition in {similar_to}200 and {similar_to}60 molecular layer thick films of terephthal-bis-(20)-alkylanilines. A diffraction geometry is developed to facilitate the measurements on freely suspended liquid-crystal films. Deep in the hexatic Sm-{ital F} phase, both films show a high degree of orientational order. The effects of the surface ordering field in thin liquid-crystal films are discussed. In both samples, the phase transition from the Sm-{ital F} phase to the Sm-{ital C} phase is strongly first order, in contrast with the continuous Kosterlitz-Thouless hexatic-isotropic phase transition predicted for two-dimensional systems.
- Research Organization:
- Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC02-76CH00016
- OSTI ID:
- 55237
- Journal Information:
- Physical Review. E, Statistical Physics, Plasmas, Fluids, and Related Interdisciplinary Topics, Vol. 51, Issue 6; Other Information: PBD: Jun 1995
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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