title: Temperature dependence of the refractive index near the reentrant-isotropic--calamitic-nematic phase transition.
abstract: The laser-induced nonlinear optical response of a lyotropic liquid crystal system in the reentrant-isotropic and calamitic-nematic phases is investigated by the use of the thermal lens technique. The occurrence of an inversion in the temperature coefficient of the ordinary refractive index, dn(radially)/dT, near the reentrant-isotropic-calamitic-nematic phase transition, is discussed. This effect is attributed to the behavior of the electronic polarizability due to the change in micelle shape near the isotropic-nematic transition, and correlated with the results obtained near the nematic-isotropic transition, previously reported.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Física Gleb Wataghin, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Unicamp, Caixa Postal 6165, 13083-970, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Pereira
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Mansanares
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Palangana
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Baesso