title: Observation of a pretransitional effect near a virtual smectic-A--smectic-C* transition.
abstract: Unusual softening of the layer compression modulus B has been observed near the phase boundary where the smectic-C* phase vanishes in a naphtalene-based liquid crystal mixture. From the systematic study of x-ray and layer compression measurements, this unusual effect is attributed to the pretransitional softening near a virtual smectic-A-smectic-C* phase transition in the smectic-A phase, which no longer appears on the thermoequilibrium phase diagram. This phenomenon is similar but not equivalent to supercritical behavior.
authors: Department of Organic and Polymeric Materials, Tokyo Institute of Technology, O-okayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8552, Japan.
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Shibahara
authors: Y
authors: Y
authors: Takanishi
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Yamamoto
authors: T
authors: T
authors: Ogasawara
authors: K
authors: K
authors: Ishikawa
authors: H
authors: H
authors: Yokoyama
authors: H
authors: H
authors: Takezoe