Abstract
The dynamics of the interface between an ordered phase, characterized by an order parameter, , and a disordered phase where =0 provide a promising, powerful tool to distinguish between continuous or second-order and weakly first-order phase transitions. We apply this idea to the nematic"smectic-A transition and find that this transition is weakly first order even when the latent heat is too small to measure.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 1764-1767 |
Number of pages | 4 |
Journal | Physical review letters |
Volume | 62 |
Issue number | 15 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 1989 |
Externally published | Yes |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- General Physics and Astronomy