Smectic and Columnar Liquid Crystals

Liquid crystals allow us to perform experiments that provide insight into fundamental problems of modern physics such as phase transitions frustration elasticity hydrodynamics defects growth phenomena and optics.Smectic and Columnar Liquid Crystals: Concepts and Physical Properties Illustrated by Experiments is a result of personal research and of the graduate lectures given by the authors at the École Normale Supérieure de Lyon and the University of Paris VII respectively. The book examines lamellar (smectic) and columnar liquid crystals which in addition to orientational order possess 1D 2D or 3D positional order. This volume illustrates original physical concepts using methodically numerous experiments theoretical developments and diagrams. Topics include rheology and plasticity ferroelectricity analogies with superconductors hexatic order and 2D-melting equilibrium shapes facetting and the Mullins-Sekerka instability as well as phase transitions in free films and membrane vibrations. Nematic and cholesteric liquid crystals are covered by the authors in a separate volume entitled Nematic and Cholesteric Liquid Crystals: Concepts and Physical Properties Illustrated by Experiments.Smectic and Columnar Liquid Crystals is an ideal introduction and a valuable source of reference for theoretical and experimental studies of advanced students and researchers in liquid crystals condensed matter physics and materials science.