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arXiv · 1003.1060

Thermodynamics of Blue Phases In Electric Fields

O. Henrich·D. Marenduzzo·K. Stratford·M. E. Cates
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Abstract

We present extensive numerical studies to determine the phase diagrams of cubic and hexagonal blue phases in an electric field. We confirm the earlier prediction that hexagonal phases, both 2 and 3 dimensional, are stabilized by a field, but we significantly refine the phase boundaries, which were previously estimated by means of a semi-analytical approximation. In particular, our simulations show that the blue phase I -- blue phase II transition at fixed chirality is largely unaffected by electric field, as observed experimentally.

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O. Henrich, D. Marenduzzo, K. Stratford, M. E. Cates. 2010-03-04. Thermodynamics of Blue Phases In Electric Fields. https://doi.org/10.1103/physreve.81.031706

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