Clock-model description of incommensurate ferroelectric films and of nematic-liquid-crystal films

Journal Article · Fri Aug 01 00:00:00 EDT 1986 · Phys. Rev. B: Condens. Matter; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.34.1815· OSTI ID:5660128

Srolovitz, D J; Scott, J F

The transmission electron micrographs of submicrometer-thick specimens of incommensurate barium sodium niobate obtained by Xiao-qing e-italict-italic a-italicl-italic. exhibit textures with lines of disclinations ending in vertices of Friedel index m-italic = +1. These are similar to those observed in nematic-liquid-crystal films with continuously degenerate boundary conditions. The nature of the vertices at which these lines meet permits us to examine the physical and topological basis for the equivalence of the two systems. A four-state clock model, in two dimensions, is shown to predict the observed structure.

• Research Organization: Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545
• OSTI ID: 5660128
• Journal Information: Phys. Rev. B: Condens. Matter; (United States), Vol. 34:3
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
FERROELECTRIC MATERIALS
TEXTURE
TRANSMISSION ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
LIQUID CRYSTALS
DOMAIN STRUCTURE
NIOBATES
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
FILMS
HAMILTONIANS
TOPOLOGY
CRYSTALS
DATA
ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
FLUIDS
INFORMATION
LIQUIDS
MATHEMATICAL OPERATORS
MATHEMATICS
MICROSCOPY
NIOBIUM COMPOUNDS
NUMERICAL DATA
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
QUANTUM OPERATORS
REFRACTORY METAL COMPOUNDS
TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS
360603* - Materials- Properties