Head-tail asymmetry and ferroelectricity in uniaxial liquid crystals

Abstract

We have studied in detail a simple model system with first- and second-rank interactions first examined many years ago by Krieger and James with mean field theory and used more recently as a prototype for bowlic and ferroelectric liquid crystals. We have investigated the model applying Monte Carlo simulations and two-site cluster theory and obtained its phase diagram. The existence of a ferroelectric liquid crystal phase region in this non-chiral system is confirmed also going beyond mean field theory. We also report short and long-range order parameters of first- and second-rank as a function of temperature for various ratios of the discriminating to non-discriminating interaction.