Relative chirality of octupolar columns in a triangular array.

Abstract

The relative chirality of helical columns of planar disks having threefold symmetry is studied using a model Hamiltonian derived from symmetry arguments that describe low-order octupole interactions. The columns are assumed to pack in a triangular array perpendicular to the columnar axes. Ground-state and finite-temperature mean-field phase diagrams are obtained as functions of interaction parameters. Due to the structure of the disks, there appears a term in the Hamiltonian that is not present for systems with lower internal symmetry, such as classical spin systems