Dislocation geometry in the TGBA phase: Linear theory
Abstract
We demonstrate that an arbitrary system of screw dislocations in a smectic-A liquid crystal may be consistently treated within harmonic elasticity theory, provided that the angles between dislocations are sufficiently small. Using this theory, we calculate the ground-state configuration of the TGBA phase. We obtain an estimate of the twist-grain-boundary spacing and screw dislocation spacing in a boundary in terms of the macroscopic parameters, in reasonable agreement with experimental results.
- Publication:
-
Physical Review E
- Pub Date:
- June 2001
- DOI:
- 10.1103/PhysRevE.63.061702
- arXiv:
- arXiv:cond-mat/0101270
- Bibcode:
- 2001PhRvE..63f1702B
- Keywords:
-
- 61.30.Jf;
- 61.30.Cz;
- 61.72.Ji;
- 61.72.Mm;
- Defects in liquid crystals;
- Molecular and microscopic models and theories of liquid crystal structure;
- Point defects and defect clusters;
- Grain and twin boundaries;
- Condensed Matter - Soft Condensed Matter;
- Condensed Matter - Superconductivity
- E-Print:
- 11 pages, 5 included figures, RevTeX