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We study the layer-to-layer diffusion in smectic-A liquid crystals ofcolloidal hard rods with different length-to-diameter ratios using computersimulations. The layered arrangement of the smectic phase yields a hopping-typediffusion due to the presence of permanent barriers and transient cages.Remarkably, we detect stringlike clusters composed of inter-layer rods movingcooperatively along the nematic director. Furthermore, we find that thestructural relaxation in equilibrium smectic phases shows interestingsimilarities with that of out-of-equilibrium supercooled liquids, althoughthere the particles are kinetically trapped in transient rather than permanentcages. Additionally, at fixed packing fraction we find that the barrier heightincreases with increasing particle anisotropy, and hence the dynamics is moreheterogeneous and non-Gaussian for longer rods, yielding a lower diffusioncoefficient along the nematic director and smaller clusters of inter-layerparticles that move less cooperatively. At fixed barrier height, the dynamicsbecomes more non-Gaussian and heterogeneous for longer rods that move morecollectively giving rise to a higher diffusion coefficient along the nematicdirector.

Collective Diffusion of Colloidal Hard Rods in Smectic Liquid Crystals: Effect of Particle Anisotropy