Layer Thinning in Freely-Suspended Thin Liquid Films of a Symmetric Liquid Crystal Dimer

ORAL

Abstract

We report optical reflectivity and dynamic light scattering (DLS) studies on freely suspended smectic films of a symmetric liquid crystal dimer, which exhibits the phase sequence isotropic---nematic---twist-bend nematic---smectic in cooling. In sufficiently thin films the reflectivity $R$ is expected to scale as the square of the number of smectic layers ($N^{\mathrm{2}})$ while the frequency $f$ of underdamped layer fluctuations scales as $N^{\mathrm{-1/2}}$. On heating thin films drawn in the smectic phase, we observe a sequence of layer thinning transitions, with $R$ and $f$ following the expected scaling relations, provided the stepwise melting involves double rather than single layers. We will describe a model to explain the unusual layer thinning process.$\backslash $pardWe thank M. G. Tamba and G. Mehl for providing the liquid crystal compound: NSF grant DMR-1307674.

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Authors

  • Shokir Pardaev

    Department of Physics,Kent State Univ - Kent

  • Zeinab Parsouzi

    Department of Physics,Kent State Univ - Kent, Kent State University

  • James Gleeson

    Department of Physics, Kent State University, Department of Physics, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242, USA, Department of Physics,Kent State Univ - Kent

  • Antal Jakil

    Chemical Physics Interdisciplinary Program and Liquid Crystal Institute, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242, Liquid Crystal Institute, Kent State University, Liquid Crystal Institute, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242, USA, Chemical Physics Interdisciplinary Program and Liquid Crystal Institute, Kent State Univ-Kent, Kent State University

  • Samuel Sprunt

    Department of Physics, Kent State University, Department of Physics, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242, USA, Department of Physics,Kent State Univ - Kent