Shear-flow enhancement and suppression of fluctuations in smectic liquid crystals

R. Bruinsma and Y. Rabin
Phys. Rev. A 45, 994 – Published 1 January 1992
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Abstract

We investigate the effects of shear flow on the smectic phase of thermotropic and lyotropic liquid crystals. We show that shear flow transforms a smectic-A thermotropic liquid crystal into an orthorhombic solid by the suppression of undulation fluctuations. In contrast, the lyotropic Lα phase exhibits, in addition, a very striking enhancement of short-wavelength concentration fluctuations—a phenomenon that is analogous to a well-known effect in polymer solutions. We demonstrate this result, using both hydrodynamic theory and a microscopic model based on the Helfrich theory of membranes. The dispersion relation of the concentration fluctuations is in qualitative agreement with recent experiments on the Lα phase in shear flow.

  • Received 16 August 1991

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.45.994

©1992 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

R. Bruinsma

  • Physics Department, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90024

Y. Rabin

  • Department of Physics, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan 52900, Israel

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Vol. 45, Iss. 2 — January 1992

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