Molecular model for nematic, smectic-A, and smectic-C liquid crystals.

Abstract

We analyze a molecular model to describe the phase transitions between the isotropic, nematic, smectic-A, and smectic-C phases. The smectic phases are described by the use of a pair potential, which lacks the full rotational symmetry because of the cylindrical symmetry around the smectic axis. The tilt of the long molecules inside the smectic layers is favored by a biquadratic pair potential, which compete with the pair potential of the McMillan model. The part of the phase diagram showing the first three phases is similar to that of the McMillan molecular model. The smectic-C phase is separated from the nematic by a continuous phase transition line along which the tilt angle is nonzero. The tilt angle vanishes continuously when one reaches the line separating the smectic-C and the smectic-A line.