Landau-de Gennes Theory of Thermotropic Biaxial Nematics: A Role of Fluctuations

Abstract

We generalize the phenomenological Landau-de Gennes theory of biaxial nematics by including fluctuations of the tensor order parameter. Then, using real-space Monte Carlo simulations we study how these fluctuations affect relative stability of the isotropic phase, the uniaxial nematic phase and the biaxial nematic phase of D_2h symmetry. Results are confronted with earlier predictions of Landau-de Gennes theory.

Keywords:

• Fluctuations
• Landau-Ginzburg-de Gennes theory
• Monte Carlo simulation
• tensor order parameter
• thermotropic biaxial nematics