Author: Pavan Kumar Challa

Publisher:

Published: 2014

Total Pages: 139

ISBN-13:

This dissertation is mainly divided into three parts. First, the dynamic light scattering measurements on both calamitic and bent-core nematic liquid crystals, carried out in the new split-helix resistive magnet at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Tallahassee is discussed. In a nematic liquid crystal the molecules tend to be aligned along a constant direction, labeled by a unit vector (or "director") n. However, there are fluctuations from this average configuration. These fluctuations are very large for long wavelengths and give rise to a strong scattering of light. The magnetic field reduces the fluctuations of liquid crystal director n. Scattered light was detected at each scattering angle ranging from 0° to 40°. The relaxation rate and inverse scattered intensity of director fluctuations exhibit a linear dependence on field-squared up to 25 Tesla. We also observe evidence of field dependence of certain nematic material parameters. In the second part of the dissertation, magneto-optical measurements on two liquid crystals that exhibit a wide temperature-range amorphous blue phase (BPIII) are discussed. Blue phase III is one of the phases that occur between chiral nematic and isotropic liquid phases. Samples were illuminated with light from blue laser; the incident polarization direction of the light was parallel to the magnetic field. The transmitted light was passed through another polarizer oriented at 90° with respect to the first polarizer and was detected by a photo-detector. Magnetic fields up to 25Tesla are found to suppress the onset of BPIII in both materials by almost 1 degree celcius. This effect appears to increase non-linearly with the field strength. The effect of high fields on established BPIII's is also discussed, in which we find significant hysteresis and very slow dynamics. Possible explanations of these results are discussed. In the third part of the dissertation, magneto-optic measurements on two odd-numbered dimer molecules that form the recently discovered twist-bend nematic (NTB) phase, which represents a new type of 3-dimensional anisotropic fluid with about 10 nm periodicity and accompanied optical stripes are discussed. In twist-bend nematic phase the director follows an oblique helicoid, maintaining a constant oblique angle with the helix axis and experiencing twist and bend. The pitch of the oblique helocoid is in the nanometer range. Light from a red laser was passed normally through the sample placed between crossed polarizers oriented at ±45° with respect to the vertical magnetic field. Optical birefringence was measured from the transmitted light. Magnetic field of B=25T shifts downward the N-NTB phase transitions by almost 1 Celsius. We also show that the optical stripes can be unwound by a temperature and material dependent magnetic induction in the range of B=5-25T. Finally, we propose a Helfrich-Hurault type mechanism for the optical stripe formation. Based on this model we calculate the magnetic field unwinding the optical scale stripes, and find agreement with our experimental results.