dc.contributor.author Fisch, M. R. dc.contributor.author Pershan, Peter S. dc.contributor.author Sorensen, L. B. dc.date.accessioned 2013-03-01T20:26:28Z dc.date.issued 1984 dc.identifier.citation Fisch, M. R., Peter S. Pershan, and L. B. Sorensen. 1984. Absolute measurement of the critical behavior of the smectic elastic constant of bilayer and monolayer smectic-A liquid crystals on approaching the transition to the nematic phase. Physical Review A 29(5): 2741-2750. en_US dc.identifier.issn 1050-2947 en_US dc.identifier.uri http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:10361601 dc.description.abstract A new technique which provides an absolute measurement of the smectic elastic constant B is presented. This technique measures second sound on samples whose top surface is an air—liquid-crystal interface. The free surface of the sample is electrically driven and the resulting surface displacements are measured with an optical heterodyne technique. The smectic elastic constant is obtained from the spectrum of the scattered light which is determined by the bulk second-sound modes. Two bilayer and two monolayer smectic-A liquid crystals were studied. Near the smectic-A—to—nematic phase transition the data can be described by a simple power law $B=B_1(T-T_{NA})^{\phi}$. However, the resulting critical exponents $\phi$ are not universal. In addition, the $B_1$ values for the bilayer smectics are considerably smaller than the values for the monolayer smectics. en_US dc.description.sponsorship Engineering and Applied Sciences en_US dc.language.iso en_US en_US dc.publisher American Physical Society en_US dc.relation.isversionof doi:10.1103/PhysRevA.29.2741 en_US dash.license LAA dc.title Absolute Measurement of the Critical Behavior of the Smectic Elastic Constant of Bilayer and Monolayer Smectic-A Liquid Crystals on Approaching the Transition to the Nematic Phase en_US dc.type Journal Article en_US dc.description.version Version of Record en_US dc.relation.journal Physical Review A en_US dash.depositing.author Pershan, Peter S. dc.date.available 2013-03-01T20:26:28Z dc.identifier.doi 10.1103/PhysRevA.29.2741 * dash.contributor.affiliated Pershan, Peter
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