Fluctuation-induced interaction in smectic films under an ordering external field

✍ Scribed by I.N. de Oliveira; M.L. Lyra

• Book ID: 104077676
• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 2004
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 186 KB
• Volume: 344
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0378-4371
• DOI: 10.1016/j.physa.2004.06.037

✦ Synopsis

Within a quadratic functional integral approach, we investigate the in uence of an external magnetic ÿeld in the uctuation-induced surface-surface interaction of free-standing smectic liquid crystals. We ÿnd that the typical 1=l decay of the Casimir-like contribution to the free-energy of a ÿlm with thickness l in the absence of external ÿelds is replaced by a faster 1=l 2 decay for ÿnite ÿelds. We show the existence of a characteristic thickness delimiting the crossover between these distinct regimes which continuously decreases as stronger ÿelds are considered.