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Updated: Aug 20, 2026

Measuring Magnetically-Tuned Ferroelectric Polarization in Liquid Crystals
Published on: August 15, 2018
Landau model of the direct isotropic to smectic-C*A phase transition in antiferroelectric liquid crystals
Prabir K Mukherjee1, Frank Giesselmann
1Institute of Physical Chemistry, University of Stuttgart, Pfaffenwaldring 55, D-70569 Stuttgart, Germany.
Abstract:
An orientational order parameter is proposed for the isotropic to smectic C*A phase transition in antiferroelectric liquid crystals. A phenomenological theory is developed to describe the direct isotropic to smectic-C*A phase transition on the basis of a free energy expansion. The free energy is written in terms of the coupled order parameters including the antipolar correlations. We present a detailed analysis of the different phases that can occur and analyze the question: under which conditions a direct isotropic to smectic-C*A phase transition is possible when compared to other phase transitions? The theoretical results are compared with experimental results.
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