Fluctuation shift of the nematic–isotropic phase transition temperature

A macroscopic counterpart to the microscopic mechanism of the straightening dimer mesogens conformations, proposed recently by S.M. Saliti, M.G. Tamba, S.N. Sprunt, C. Welch, G.H. Mehl, A. Jakli, and J.T. Gleeson [Phys. Rev. Lett. 116, 217801 (2016)] to explain their experimental observation of the unprecedentedly large shift of the nematic–isotropic transition temperature is discussed. The proposed interpretation is based on singular longitudinal fluctuations of the nematic order parameter. Since these fluctuations are governed by the Goldstone director fluctuations, they exist only in the nematic state. External magnetic field suppresses the singular longitudinal fluctuations of the order parameter (similarly as is the case for the transverse director fluctuations, although with a different scaling over the magnetic field). The reduction of the fluctuations changes the equilibrium value of the magnitude of the order parameter in the nematic state. Therefore, it leads to additional (with respect to the mean field contribution) fluctuation shift of the nematic–isotropic transition temperature. Our mechanism works for any nematic liquid crystals, however the magnitude of the fluctuation shift increases with decrease in the Frank elastic moduli. Since some of these moduli supposed to be anomalously small for so-called bent-core or dimer nematic liquid crystals, just these liquid crystals are promising candidates for the observation of the predicted fluctuation shift of the phase transition temperature.     

Evidence of pressure dependence tricritical point at the nematic–smectic-A transition

We examine the effect of pressure on the nematic to smectic-A N–SmA) transition within the Landau phenomenological theory. The influence of pressure on the N–SmA transition is discussed by varying the coupling between the orientational and translational order parameters. The possibility of the tricritical point at the N–SmA transition is discussed in a phenomenological way. The theoretical predictions are found to be in good qualitative agreement with experimental results.     

Temperature dependence of Bi2O3 structural parameters close to the α–δ phase transition

This article presents the results of in situ X-ray powder diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and electrical impedance spectroscopy of the α-phase of Bi₂O₃, at 0.1 MPa in the temperature range below and above the α–δ-phase transition. This work demonstrated subtle nonlinear temperature variations of the cell parameters, of the hard-mode Raman shift, and of the activation energy of electrical conductivity in the temperature range about 100–120°C below the α–δ phase transition temperature T _Tr ≈ 725°C in Bi₂O₃. At T < 600°C, the linear variation of the inverse dielectric susceptibility (χ ^?1) correlates well with the hard mode frequency shift Δ(ω ²) of Raman A_1g mode as Δ(χ ^?1)/Δ(ω ²) ≈ 5.5 × 10^?7 cm². A structural model describing the mechanism of O^2? anion distribution and electric dipole disordering in the vicinity of T _Tr is discussed.     

Temperature dependence of the principal and additional refractive indices of Yb:KGW and KYW crystals in the range of 20–400°C

Optics and Spectroscopy - The temperature dependence of the principal refractive indices of potassium-gadolinium tungstate crystals with 7% Yb impurity and pure potassium-yttrium tungstate without...     

Kinetics of the isotropic–nematic phase transition in melted multi-component liquid crystal mixtures upon cooling

The kinetics of the phase separation and the nematic phase growth in two melted commercial multi-component liquid crystal mixtures upon cooling was studied using polarising optical microscopy and IR spectrometry. The droplets of the nematic phase revealed in the optical images across the phase transition were segmented and treated statistically. In the resulting size histograms of mixture B, two overlapping statistical ensembles related to two co-existing nematic phases were recognised; these phases were shown to be different in their chemical structures. In mixture A, any separation within the nematic phase was not found. The statistical ensembles of the nematic droplets were successfully described using the principles of irreversible thermodynamics. Analysis of the mean droplet diameter as a function of time allowed recognition of two regimes of the nematic phase evolution: (1) nucleation and rapid nucleus growth and (2) nucleus coalescence. Both the regimes were quantitatively described with the universal law for the cluster growth.     

Temperature range of the liquid–glass transition

It has been shown that the currently used method for calculating the temperature range of δT_g in the glass transition equation qτ_g = δT_g as the difference δT_g = (T₁₂–T₁₃) results in overestimated values, which is explained by the assumption of a constant activation energy of glass transition in deriving the calculation equation (T₁₂ and T₁₃ are the temperatures corresponding to the logarithmic viscosity values of logη = 12 and logη = 13). The methods for the evaluation of δT_g using the Williams–Landel–Ferry equation and the model of delocalized atoms are considered, the results of which are in satisfactory agreement with the product qτ_g (q is the cooling rate of the melt and τ_g is the structural relaxation time at the glass transition temperature). The calculation of τ_g for inorganic glasses and amorphous organic polymers is proposed.     

Temperature dependence of birefringence of atactic polystyrene: The liquid—liquid transition

The birefringence of solvent-cast atactic polystyrene films was measured as a function of annealing temperature. The birefringence was found to disappear at a temperature which corresponds to the liquid-liquid transition, as measured by differential scanning calorimetry. It is concluded that this experiment is a proof of the molecular origin of the liquid-liquid transition.     

An image processing study of a reentrant discotic cholesteric – biaxial cholesteric phase transition

In this work, we study and characterize the cholesteric sequence of phases (Ch_Dr ? Ch_B ? Ch_D), where the first Ch_Dr is the reentrant cholesteric discotic phase, Ch_B is the cholesteric biaxial phase and the second Ch_D is the cholesteric discotic phase. This sequence of phases is studied through polarized light microscopy and image processing technique, where, for the first time, the domains and borders of these transitions are established and characterized. They are also investigated and optically characterized throughout their textures.     

Temperature dependence of ratio between dielectric anisotropy and order parameter in fluorinated nematic liquid crystals

Temperature dependence of ratio between dielectric anisotropy and order parameter of fluorinated nematic liquid crystal is investigated by using a semi-empirical molecular orbital package that can accurately calculate an angle between molecular dipole moment and long axis. We optimize the molecular conformations with three semi-empirical Hamiltonians AM1, PM3 and PM5, and then make a comparison between computational results and experimental measurements. It is shown that the results obtained from AM1 method are in good agreement with the measurements. The present study offers an applicable method to predict the dielectric properties of liquid crystal material.     

Specific heat of EuxSr1−xO near the ferromagnetic phase transition

High-resolution measurements of the specific heat,C, near the ferromagnetic phase transition of the diluted ferromagnetic system Eu_xSr_1–xO are reported. Samples with four different concentrations (x=1,x=0.9,x=0.7 andx=0.5) have been studied and the expected phase diagram, i.e. the linear decrease ofT _c with decreasingx, is confirmed. Our specific-heat data of the pure EuO samples yield a critical exponent =–0.12±0.02 in contrast to literature results, but in agreement with the value expected theoretically for this three-dimensional Heisenberg system. The origin of the discrepancies is traced down to differences in data analysis.     

Temperature dependence in atom–surface scattering

It is shown that a straightforward measure of the temperature dependence of energy resolved atom–surface scattering spectra measured under classical conditions can be related to the strength of the surface corrugation. Using classical perturbation theory combined with a Langevin bath formalism for describing energy transfer, explicit expressions for the scattering probabilities are obtained for both two-dimensional, in-plane scattering and full three-dimensional scattering. For strong surface corrugations results expressed as analytic closed-form equations for the scattering probability are derived which demonstrate that the temperature dependence of the scattering probability weakens with increasing corrugation strength. The relationship to the inelastic rainbow is briefly discussed.     

Frank–Condon principle and adjustment of optical waveguides with nonhomogeneous refractive indices

The adjustment of two different selfocs is considered using both exact formulas for the mode-connection coefficients expressed in terms of Hermite polynomials of several variables and a qualitative approach based on the Frank–Condon principle. Several examples of the refractive-index dependence are studied and illustrative plots for these examples are presented. The connection with the tomographic approach to quantum states of a two-dimensional oscillator and the Frank–Condon factors is established.     

Small-inelastic-strain rate spectrum of C60 single crystals near the phase transition at 250–260 K

The temperature spectrum of small-inelastic-strain rates in a vapor-phase-grown C₆₀ single crystal has been measured within the 200–290 K interval with a high-precision strain-rate meter based on a laser interferometer. The spectrum exhibits a strong peak in the region of the phase transition at 250–260 K and a slight strain acceleration at ∼240 K, which correlates well with the calorimetric curve. The first maximum is associated with strain that developes more easily in an fcc than in a primitive cubic lattice, and the second, to the effect on the strain rate of annealing of the defects created with fast crystal heating. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 41, 1115–1118 (June 1999)     

Temperature dependence of the surface-plasmon-induced Goos–H?nchen shifts

Optical sensing of temperature variations is explored by studying the Goos–H?nchen (GH) lateral shift of a reflected light beam from various device based on the surface plasmon (SP) excitation at metal-dielectric interfaces. Both the Kretchman and the Sarid geometry will be considered, where the temperature variations of the GH shifts associated with excitation of both the regular and the long-range SP will be studied. It is found that while the SP-induced shifts and their temperature sensitivities are much greater than those from a bare metallic surface, these sensitivities are comparable between the shifts induced by the different kinds of SP, although the long-range SP can in general induce much greater values in the GH shifts, as reported recently in the literature.     

Temperature effects on superfluid phase transition in Bose–Hubbard model with three-body interaction

We theoretically investigate the effect of the three-body on-site interactions on the Mott-insulator–superfluid transition for ultracold bosonic atoms in the framework of the Bose–Hubbard model. In particular, we explore the combined effects of three-body interaction and finite temperature on the phase diagram in detail. In order to handle system with strong local interactions a resolvent expansion technique based on the contour integral representation of the partition function has been devised. Subsequently, we derive the Landau-type expansion for the free energy in terms of the superfluid order parameter and find the phase diagrams depicting the relationships between various physical quantities of interest.     

Manifestation of Curie–Weiss law for optical phase transition

Considerable slowing down is observed for both the temporal development of the coherent oscillation slightly above the threshold and the refractive index grating decay slightly below the threshold for a semilinear photorefractive oscillator with two counter-propagating pump waves. It is shown that in the vicinity of the threshold the reciprocal characteristic time is a linear function of deviation from the threshold coupling strength. This behaviour is similar to an empirical Curie–Weiss law and points to the analogy of the oscillation threshold to a second-order phase transition. Received: 2 April 2001 / Revised version: 23 August 2001 / Published online: 7 November 2001     

Error scrutiny of measuring coefficients of refractive indices and Soret coefficients using Mach–Zehnder interferometer

No matter how vigilantly an experiment is performed, errors always there inside the experimental results. Since the results of laser based optical experiments are somewhat loftier in precision, commonly, sources of errors are mistreated. However, ample error scrutiny is vital in quantifying of physical parameters of liquids such as Soret and diffusion coefficients. There are two types of experimental errors, explicitly, systematic error and random error. Systematic error is associated to the apparatus and cannot be enhanced by recurrent experiments. Frequent systematic errors in Mach–Zehnder Interferometer (MZI) techniques originate from stability of laser wavelength, resolution of the electronics component etcetera. Random error is interrelated to the variation in the equivalent measurements of repeating experiment. Resolution of electronic components likewise constructs random errors by providing diverse values in the recurring experiment. Foremost, random error of MZI is caused by the environmental circumstances such as nonconformity of background light, air temperature, and air humidity. In this current amendment, a meticulous error analysis has been accomplished for evaluating thermodiffusion or Soret coefficients of hydrocarbon binary mixtures. Based on our knowledge, such a completed error scrutiny for measuring Soret coefficients using MZI does not yet exist in the literature. Study reveals that the utmost error of measuring Soret coefficient using MZI is less than 0.22%.