Simulation of structural phase transition of cholesteric blue phases based on continuum theory

Abstract

We study numerically how the structural phase transition from a perfectly ordered cholesteric blue phase (BP) II to BP I occurs in real space, using a Langevin-type equation of motion for the orientational order parameter of a second-rank tensor. Experimentally observed twin structures of BP I are reproduced numerically as well, and it is demonstrated that the transformation from BP II to BP I is initiated by the formation of BP I nuclei from the background BP II. The transformation from twinnedBP I to BP X under an electric field is also discussed.