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Full-Text Articles in Physics

Field Control Of The Surface Electroclinic Effect In Liquid Crystal Displays, Dana Hipolite Aug 2013

Field Control Of The Surface Electroclinic Effect In Liquid Crystal Displays, Dana Hipolite

Physics

Liquid crystals (LCs) are a fascinating class of materials exhibiting a range of phases intermediate between liquid and crystalline. Smectic LCs consist of elongated molecules arranged in a periodic stack (along z) of liquid like layers. In the smectic-A (Sm-A) phase, the average molecular long axis (director) points along z. In the smectic-C (Sm-C) phase, it is tilted relative to z, thus picking out a special direction within the layers. Typically, the Sm-A* to Sm- C* transition will occur as temperature is decreased. In chiral smectics (Sm-*A or Sm-C*) it is possible to induce director titling (i.e. the Sm-C* phase) …


Analysis Of An Unusual Liquid Crystal Phase Transition, Loni Ann Fuller Jun 2013

Analysis Of An Unusual Liquid Crystal Phase Transition, Loni Ann Fuller

Physics

Liquid crystals are a unique phase of matter that resemble a state between a solid and liquid. Within these properties, liquid crystal molecules have the ability to align and create layers. From this phenomenon, many electro-optical effects can be investigated, such as measuring the tilt angle between molecules at different temperatures and applied electric fields and also measuring the birefringence, which is a unique property of liquid crystals in which the index of refraction of the sample behaves differently along different axes. In order to better understand these electro- optical effects, we designed a more precise protocol of measuring this …


Density Functional Theory And The Calculation Of Tcmg2O4 Spinel Lattice Parameters, Jon Karlo Macias Mar 2013

Density Functional Theory And The Calculation Of Tcmg2O4 Spinel Lattice Parameters, Jon Karlo Macias

Physics

The cohesive energy, lattice constant and bulk modulus of two simple HCP crystal structures of magnesium and technetium were calculated using the vienna ab initio simulation package (VASP) which is based on density functional theory (DFT). The same properties were determined for TcMg2O4 spinel. The theoretical results of the lattice constant of the pure crystals were compared to experimental results and found to be in excellent agreement with a difference of less than 2%. The results for the lattice constant of the TcMg2O4 spinel were found to be in excellent agreement as well with …