The influence of disorder on thermotropic nematic liquid crystals phase behavior.
We review the theoretical research on the influence of disorder on structure and phase behavior of condensed matter system exhibiting continuous symmetry breaking focusing on liquid crystal phase transitions. We discuss the main properties of liquid crystals as adequate systems in which several open questions with respect to the impact of disorder on universal phase and structural behavior could be explored. Main advantages of liquid crystalline materials and different experimental realizations of random field-type disorder imposed on liquid crystal phases are described.
Faculty of Physics, University of Bucharest, P. O. Box MG-11, Bucharest 077125, Romania.
Vlad
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Popa-Nita
Laboratory Physics of Complex Systems, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, University of Maribor, Koroška 160, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia and Jožef Stefan Institute, Jamova 39, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Ivan
I
Gerlič
Laboratory Physics of Complex Systems, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, University of Maribor, Koroška 160, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia and Jožef Stefan Institute, Jamova 39, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Samo
S
Kralj
D000465:Algorithms; D016880:Anisotropy; D050866:Liquid Crystals / Q000737:chemistry*; D008956:Models, Chemical; D044367:Phase Transition; D013816:Thermodynamics