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Kerr effect studies of the isotropic‐smectic phase transition of liquid crystalline 4‐nitrophenyl 4‐n‐alkoxybenzoates
Author(s) -
Hauser A.,
Demus D.
Publication year - 1981
Publication title -
kristall und technik
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.377
H-Index - 64
eISSN - 1521-4079
pISSN - 0023-4753
DOI - 10.1002/crat.19810160311
Subject(s) - isotropy , liquid crystal , condensed matter physics , phase transition , phase (matter) , kerr effect , relaxation (psychology) , materials science , divergence (linguistics) , physics , optics , quantum mechanics , psychology , nonlinear system , social psychology , linguistics , philosophy
The static and dynamic pretransitional behaviour at the isotropic‐smectic A phase transition was investigated by the electric Kerr effect and compared with the behaviour at the isotropic‐nematic phase transition. Close above the smectic A‐isotropic transition temperature a strong divergence and a deviation from the behaviour according to the Landau – de Gennes model (which was upheld far from the clearing temperature) was observed for both the Kerr constant and the Kerr relaxation time. The Kerr relaxation times near the smectic A‐isotropic phase transition exceed that of the isotropic‐nematic transition by more than a factor of 4 which is due to the existence of quasi smectic cybotactic groups in the isotropic phase.