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Orientational Transition in a Liquid Crystal Triggered by the Thermodynamic Growth of Interfacial Wetting Sheets
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Generic first-order phase transitions between isotropic and orientational phases with polyhedral symmetries
Ke Liu1, Jonas Greitemann1, Lode Pollet1
1Arnold Sommerfeld Center for Theoretical Physics, University of Munich, Theresienstrasse 37, 80333 Munich, Germany.
Physical Review. E
|February 17, 2018
Summary
Researchers explored polyhedral nematic transitions using a novel non-Abelian gauge theory. They discovered these transitions are typically first-order, requiring fine-tuning for second-order behavior.
Area of Science:
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Statistical Mechanics
- Materials Science
Background:
- Polyhedral nematics exhibit complex orientational phases and symmetry breaking.
- Transitions from polyhedral nematic to isotropic liquid phases are under-explored.
- Experimental research is actively pursuing these exotic phases in colloidal and molecular systems.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the nematic-isotropic transition for all 3D polyhedral nematics.
- To apply a non-Abelian gauge theory to phases with arbitrary point-group symmetry.
- To analyze transitions where traditional methods are complex due to high-rank order parameters or lack of mirror symmetry.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a recently developed non-Abelian gauge theory.
- Performed exhaustive Monte Carlo simulations.
- Cross-referenced findings with renormalization group approaches and existing lattice models.
Main Results:
- The nematic-isotropic transition is generically first-order for all polyhedral symmetries.
- This universal first-order nature is consistent across different theoretical models.
- Extreme fine-tuning is necessary to achieve second-order transitions.
Conclusions:
- The study provides a comprehensive understanding of polyhedral nematic-isotropic transitions.
- The non-Abelian gauge theory offers a versatile tool for analyzing complex symmetry-breaking phenomena.
- Future work may explore conditions for second-order transitions and general O(3) symmetry breaking.
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