1998/10/19 by Jorge Alfaro, Oscar Cubero, O. Cubero +1
Chemistry · Computer Science · Materials Science · Physics and Astronomy · #Liquid Crystal Research Advancements #Molecular spectroscopy and chirality #Nonlinear Dynamics and Pattern Formation #cond-mat
paper · pdf · doi:10.1016/s0378-4371(99)00200-9
33 pages, Latex, 11 figures
arxiv created 1998/10/19 · openalex publication_date 1999/10/01 · arxiv updated 2009/11/30 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
The quantum mechanical version of a classical model for studying the orientational degrees of freedom corresponding to a nematic liquid composed of biaxial molecules is presented. The effective degrees of freedom are described by operators carrying an SU(3) representation, which allows the explicit calculation of the partition function in the mean field approximation. The algebraic consistency conditions are solved numerically and the equilibrium phases of the system are determined. In particular, the entropy, the specific heat and the order parameters are presented for different choices of the constituent biaxial molecules. Our results reproduce the classical calculation in the limit of high temperatures and high quantum numbers.