Effect of Orientational Fluctuation on Nematic-Smectic A Transition in the System of Hard Rod Molecules

Abstract

By applying the method of symmetry breaking potential to Zwanzig’s three direction model for liquid crystal, the nematic-smectic as well as isotropic-nematic transitions are investigated. Particular attention is paid to the effect of orientational fluctuation on the nematic-smectic A transition. It is shown that the nematic-smectic A transition is reduced to the one of first order owing to that kind of fluctuation for the case of short molecule.