title: Raman scattering study of phase biaxiality in a thermotropic bent-core nematic liquid crystal.
abstract: Polarized Raman spectroscopy was used to investigate the development of orientational order and the degree of phase biaxiality in a bent-core mesogenic system. The values of the uniaxial order parameters <P200> and <P400>, and biaxial order parameters <P220>, <P420>, and <P440>, and their evolution with temperature were determined. The temperature dependence of almost all order parameters reveals a second order transition from the uniaxial to biaxial nematic phase with <P220> increasing to ∼0.22 before a first order transition to the smectic-C phase, upon cooling.
authors.affiliation: School of Polymer, Textile and Fiber Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
authors.forename: Min Sang
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Beom-Jin
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Yoon
authors.forename: Jung Ok
authors.initials: JO
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Veena
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Prasad
authors.forename: Satyendra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.forename: Mohan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Srinivasarao