Phase behavior of the confined Lebwohl-Lasher model

The phase behavior of confined nematogens is studied using the Lebwohl-Lasher model. For three-dimensional systems the model is known to exhibit a discontinuous nematic-isotropic phase transition, whereas the corresponding two-dimensional systems apparently show a continuous Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-T...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Almarza, Noé G., Martín, C., Lomba, Enrique
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2010
País:España
Institución:Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
Repositorio:DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
OAI Identifier:oai:digital.csic.es:10261/26669
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10261/26669
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Lebowhl-Lasher model
Lattice models
liquid crystal
confined systems
Descripción
Sumario:The phase behavior of confined nematogens is studied using the Lebwohl-Lasher model. For three-dimensional systems the model is known to exhibit a discontinuous nematic-isotropic phase transition, whereas the corresponding two-dimensional systems apparently show a continuous Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless-like transition. In this paper, we study the phase transitions of the Lebwohl-Lasher model when confined between planar slits of different widths in order to establish the behavior of intermediate situations between the pure planar model and the three-dimensional system, and compare with previous estimates for the critical thickness, i.e., the slit width at which the transition switches from continuous to discontinuous. © 2010 The American Physical Society