2025/07/04 by Lincoln Paik, Jonathan V. Selinger, Paik, Lincoln +1
Materials Science · #FOS: Physical sciences #Liquid Crystal Research Advancements #Material Dynamics and Properties #Soft Condensed Matter (cond-mat.soft)
paper · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2507.03235
openalex publication_date 2025/07/04 · openalex created_date 2025/10/20 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
In a ferroelectric nematic liquid crystal, the electrostatic interaction can induce a spontaneous cholesteric helix, even if the material is not chiral. If the liquid-crystal cell is infinitely thick, then the predicted pitch depends continuously on material parameters. Here, we consider how the prediction must be modified in a cell of finite thickness. If the Debye screening length is large enough, we find that the free energy has multiple minima. In these minima, the cholesteric pitch is locked to the cell thickness, so that the cell contains an integer number of pitches. However, if the screening length is smaller, then the cholesteric pitch can vary continuously.