title: Structure studies of the nematic phase formed by bent-core molecules.
abstract: In recent years there are several reports showing that bent-core mesogenic molecules are able to form biaxial nematic phase in which molecular rotation around the long molecular axis is strongly hindered. The x-ray pattern with azimuthally split signals at low angle region of diffraction is usually given as evidence for the biaxial nematic phase. We show experimentally and theoretically that such x-ray pattern is due to the local smectic- C fluctuations ("cybotactic" groups) in the uniaxial nematic phase.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, University of Maribor, Koroska 160, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Vaupotic
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Szydlowska
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Salamonczyk
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kovarova
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Svoboda
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Osipov
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pociecha
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gorecka