Chiral Fluctuations and Structures
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Chiral molecules form a number of non-chiral structures, the simplest being an isotropic fluid phase. In a mesophase of achiral molecules the fluctuations will on average be achiral as well: left-handed twists and right-handed twists will occur with the same probability. In a system composed of chiral molecules, however, the fluctuations will be biased in one direction or the other, and there will be optical effects such as a non-zero fluctuation induced rotary power {\sl in addition} to the molecular rotary power of the individual molecules. We discuss this effect in a number of contexts, including lyotropic lamellar phases. When the tendency to twist is strong enough or the line energy of having an exposed edge is small enough, a new, defect riddled ground state of a lyotropic lamella, akin to the Renn-Lubensky twist-grain-boundary phase of thermotropic smectics, can occur.
10 pages. Requires no macros. 2 figures uufiled. Replacement corrects macro problems. To be presented at the Chandrasekhar Celebration, Bangalore, India (1996)
10 pages. Requires no macros. 2 figures uufiled. Replacement corrects macro problems. To be presented at the Chandrasekhar Celebration, Bangalore, India (1996)