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The Physics of Liquid Crystals, Second Edition, by PG

de Gennes and J Prost, International Series of
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DOI: 10.1080/13583149408628646

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The Physics of Liquid Crystals, Second Edition, by PG de

Gennes and J Prost, International Series of Monographs on
Physics No 83, published OUP (1993) ISBN 0 19852024 7
a
O D Lavrentovich
a
Liquid Crystal Institute, Kent State University , Kent, Ohio, 44242, USA
Published online: 07 Aug 2008.

To cite this article: O D Lavrentovich (1994) The Physics of Liquid Crystals, Second Edition, by PG de Gennes and J Prost,
International Series of Monographs on Physics No 83, published OUP (1993) ISBN 0 19852024 7, Liquid Crystals Today, 4:3, 7-7, DOI:
10.1080/13583149408628646

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BOOK REVIEW
The Physics of Liquid Crystals, Second Edition
by P G de Gennes and J Prost, International Series of Monographs
on Physics No 83,published OUP (1993) ISBN 0 19852024 7
Reviewed bu 0 D Lavrentovich, Liquid Crystal Institute,
Kent State University, Kent, Ohio 44242, USA.
Liquid crystals have attracted physicists
from the beginning of this century. How-
ever only in 1974 was the long-felt need
for a major monograph on the physics of
liquid crystals met by P G de Gennes.
The first edition of The Physics of Liquid
Crystals has served as an educational
and unifying guide for the whole liquid
crystal community, and the book helped
to transform the field of liquid crystals into
one of the cornerstones of 'soft matter '
Downloaded by [110.185.210.85] at 08:56 22 March 2014
science .
Only twenty years ago many properties
of liquid crystals seemed to be myster i-
ous oddities, while now they are suc-
cessfully used in display applications.
What is more, they are willingly taken as
starting points , reference systems and
physical models for scientists working in
such different fie lds as an isotropic
superfluids , surfactant films or even cos-
mology.
Rapid development of the field and the
transformation of liquid crystals into main-
From the Secretary
(cont . from p 6)
will affiliate to the ILCS. Furthermore, it is a
policy of the Society to disseminate and
encourage liquid crystal research espe-
cially in emerging countries in order to help
them initiate new programmes and bring
new ideas to liquid crystal science and
applications.
Inhislatest Presidential message, Geoffrey
Luckhurst emphasised that it is important
that the Society continues to develop in
response to the needs of its members. In
fact the ILCS is enlarging its objectives, as
has been reported in Liquid Crystals To-
day, and a review of its activities is to be
undertaken to realise how these should
develop further, There will be continual
stimulus and challenge for members to
respondto, and I feel the Society needs all
their best efforts. In accepting the invitation
to act as Secretary, I know I will have the
fullest support from the President, and the
past Secretary and present Editor of this
Newsletter, David Dunmur. I am also urg-
ing the members of the Society to share
with me their opinions and comments , so
that the society can continue to meet their
needs.
G Galli, Dipartimento di Chimica e
Chimica Industriate, Universita Degli
Studi di Pisa, Via Risorgimento 35,
56126 Pisa, Italy. FAX: 39-50-28438
View publication stats
stream modern physics underlie the ne-
cessity for a new publication . The new
version significantly extends the descrip -
tion of smectic phases, and introduces
readers to the physic s of columnar liquid
crystals . As written in the Preface , this
extens ion was made possible mainly by
the efforts of J Prost, one of the pioneers
and major contributors in the area of
liquid crystals .
The second edition of The Physics of
Liquid Crystals preserves and develops
all the features that made the first edition
a class ic text. One of the book's many
strengths is its two-level style of descr ip-
tion . Mathema tical theory and qualitative
physica l pictures are masterfully welded
together. As a result the book is equally
valuable for those who prefer physical
ideas in their simplest form , and forthose
who appreciate the beauty of liquid crys-
tals only through the language of correla-
tion functions , renormalisation groups ,
fluxes and conjugate forces.
Chapter One gives an introduction to and
general classification of liquid crystals ,
including both thermotropic and lyotropic
phases . It shows how the spatial organi-
sation of different building units leads to
three basic mesomorphic classes :
nematics, smectics and columnar phases.
Symmetry classification is accompanied
by a qualitative analysis of elastic proper-
ties and fluctuations. Step-by-step the
authors sharpen the descriptions of liq-
uid crystal phases , proceeding from in-
tuitive molecular models to rigorous defi-
nitions in terms of long-range, quasi-
long-range and short-range order .
Long-range orientational order in the
nematic phase is descr ibed in Chapter
Two. The authors discuss the scalar and
tensor order paramete rs, and give a brief
but comprehensive analysis of statistical
theor ies and phenomenological Landau-
de Gennes approach. New subsections
deal with Monte Carlo computer calcula-
tions and the biaxial nematic phase.
Chapter Three is central for understand -
ing the phenomenological theory of
nematics. The authors start with Frank-
Oseen elastic theory , and explain how to
find equil ibrium director distributions and
balance of torques . They give an intro-
duction to surface anchoring effects , and
proceed to dielectric, diamagnetic and
f1exoelectricphenomena, finally conclud-
ing with the theory of director fluctuations
Liquid Crystals Today Vol 4, 3, (1994) 7
and light scattering. This brisk survey
conveys in less than 70 pages the breadth
and excitement of the whole field.
Chapters Four to Six have not undergone
significant change , apart from the de-
scription of blue phases within the frame-
work of two complementary models.
Chapters Seven to Ten contain deta iled
descriptions of a vast variety of smectic
and columnar liquid crystals. Special
emphasis on these one-and two-dimen-
sionally ordered phases is exemplified by
amazing results obtained recently : twist-
grain boundary and hexatic phases , freely
suspended films, ferroelectric smectics ,
The authors have managed throughout
to retain the spirit of parallel interpreta-
tion in terms of qualitative physical ideas
and mathematical formulae. This ap-
proach makes many quite delicate prob-
lems accessible for a general audience.
Examples include the description of thin
free-stand ing smectic films, Kosterl itz-
Thouless phase transitions , developable
doma ins in columnar phases , hexatic
bond order ing and the celebrated super-
conductivity analogy with the theoretical
prediction of twist-grain boundary phases
as its most exciting result.
The material of this book is of except ional
value to scientists. The major criticism
concerns what the book does not con-
tain . Some "little corners in the painting"
are deliberately sacrificed : for all its uni-
versality The Physics of Liquid Crystals
cannot cover everything, and there are a
few features that might have deserved
more attentio n. One of them is the diver-
gence contributions to the elastic free
energy funct ionals , known also as
k,3(mixed splay and bend) and k24 (sad-
dle-splay) terms in the theory of nematics
and the k (saddle-splay) term in smectics.
Deriving Frank-Oseen functionals, the
authors note that divergence elastic terms
may be discarded , since they can be
transformed into surface energies (p100).
Such a transformation , however, does
not prove that the divergence energies
are negligible in comparison with the
usual "bulk" energies (both of them scale
linearly with the system 's size, whatever
way of integration is chosen) . Neither
does it prove that the divergence ener-
gies can be taken into account by
renormalising the interfacial (anchoring)
energy . Another issue worthy of cons id-
eration is that of surface phenomena; the
last decade has brought many interest-
ing results in this area (e.g. subsurface
orientational and translational orde ring
different from that in the bulk) that are not
duly emphasised in books on liquid crys-
tals.
Without a doubt , this book will remain an
excellent guide for researchers and gradu-
ate students studying different "soft mat-
ter" systems . If "soft matter" science has
a bright future, then it is definitely brought
closer by The Physics of Liquid Crystals .