Thermodynamics of blue phases in electric fields

Phys Rev E Stat Nonlin Soft Matter Phys. 2010 Mar;81(3 Pt 1):031706. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevE.81.031706. Epub 2010 Mar 22.

Abstract

We present extensive numerical studies to determine the phase diagrams of cubic and hexagonal blue phases in an electric field. We confirm the earlier prediction that hexagonal phases, both two and three dimensional, are stabilized by a field, but we significantly refine the phase boundaries, which were previously estimated by means of a semianalytical approximation. In particular, our simulations show that the blue phase I-blue phase II transition at fixed chirality is largely unaffected by electric field, as observed experimentally.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Color
  • Computer Simulation
  • Electromagnetic Fields
  • Liquid Crystals / chemistry*
  • Liquid Crystals / radiation effects*
  • Models, Chemical*
  • Thermodynamics