Smectic-glass transition in a liquid crystal cell with a "dirty" substrate

TL;DR

This paper investigates how a disordered substrate influences the transition of smectic liquid crystals into a glassy state, revealing a complex surface disorder-driven phase transition with specific experimental signatures.

Contribution

It introduces a theoretical framework for understanding the smectic-glass transition induced by surface disorder, highlighting a novel fixed line and super-rough phase analogy.

Findings

Identification of a surface disorder-driven transition into a smectic-glass

Calculation of substrate-induced distortions and characteristic length scales

Discussion of experimental signatures of the transition

Abstract

We explore the smectic liquid crystal order in a cell with a "dirty" substrate imposing random pinnings. Within harmonic elasticity we find a subtle three-dimensional surface disorder-driven transition into a pinned smectic-glass, controlled by a three-dimensional Cardy-Ostlund-like fixed line, akin to a super-rough phase of a two-dimensional xy model. We compute the associated random substrate-driven distortions of the smectic-glass state, identify the characteristic length scales on the heterogeneous substrate and in the bulk, and discuss a variety of experimental signatures.