LVIII. On a new optical property of biaxial crystals

Investigation on optical properties in the surface of KClxBr1-x mixed crystals irradiated to gamma radiation (A new approach)

Background: Similar to the thermoluminescence (TL) spectra, the optical parameters variations can also be used in TL crystals for dosimetry purposes. These optical parameters can include absorption, transmission and reflection coefficients. Materials and Methods: Single crystals of KBr and KCl which have been used in this research were grown from laboratory grade extra pure precursor p...

Continuum Theory of Biaxial Nematic Liquid Crystals

Coarsening dynamics of biaxial nematic liquid crystals.

We study the coarsening dynamics of two- and three-dimensional biaxial nematic liquid crystals, using Langevin dynamics. Unlike previous work, we use a model with no a priori relationship among the three elastic constants associated with director deformations. Biaxial nematics possess four topologically distinct classes of defects, three of which have half-integer charge, while the fourth, whic...

Polydispersity stabilizes biaxial nematic liquid crystals.

Inspired by the observations of a remarkably stable biaxial nematic phase [van den Pol et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 103, 258301 (2009)], we investigate the effect of size polydispersity on the phase behavior of a suspension of boardlike particles. By means of Onsager theory within the restricted orientation (Zwanzig) model we show that polydispersity induces a novel topology in the phase diagram, w...

Models for biaxial nematic liquid crystals