Macroscopic and molecular symmetries of unconventional nematic phases

Abstract

The effects of the molecular symmetry on macroscopic properties of conventional and unconventional nematic phases are investigated theoretically. These effects concern: (1) the form of the molecular orientation fluctuations, (2) the thermodynamic behavior and the list of stable ordered phases, (3) the effective symmetry of the molecules in the ordered phases. The order-parameter consists of tensors forming the main harmonics of the fluctuation distribution. In conventional models (valid for uniaxial molecules) a single tensor is sufficient while unconventional models (valid for less symmetric molecules) need several tensors with the same rank. We analyze the qualitative differences arising when the number of equivalent tensors varies. We show how to work out complete models in the general case, and to calculate the sequences of stable phases and the corresponding effective molecular symmetries. This yields, for each molecular group and each tensor rank, a complete classification and a deep insight into the structure of thermotropic nematics. This work generalizes the approach we have applied to polar nematics recently observed in polyester compounds and to unconventional uniaxial and biaxial phases of bent-core materials.