Disordering to Order: de Vries Behavior from a Landau Theory for Smectic Phases
Disordering to Order: de Vries Behavior from a Landau Theory for Smectic Phases
We show that Landau theory for the isotropic, nematic, smectic A, and smectic C phases generically, but not ubiquitously, implies de Vries behavior. I.e., a continuous AC transition can occur with little layer contraction; the birefringence decreases as temperature T is lowered above this transition, and increases again below the …