Abstract
A sharp divergence is observed in the thermal diffusivity very close to the transition temperature of a smectic-Asmectic-C transition that is known to be at a mean-field tricritical point. Similar but less pronounced behavior near other smectic-Asmectic-C transitions reveals a relationship between the size of this anomaly and the proximity of the system to a tricritical point. An application of the Ginzburg criterion suggests that this novel behavior might indicate a crossover to an asymptotic critical regime.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 1771-1774 |
Number of pages | 4 |
Journal | Physical review letters |
Volume | 67 |
Issue number | 13 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 1991 |