title: Phase behavior of the confined Lebwohl-Lasher model.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Química Física Rocasolano, CSIC, Serrano 119, E-28006 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: N G
authors.initials: NG
authors.lastname: Almarza
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Martín
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lomba