# Evolution of Focal Conic Domains in SmA-N Phase Transition

## TL;DR

This paper studies how focal conic domains in liquid crystals change during a phase transition from smectic A to nematic.

## Contribution

The study provides new experimental and modeling insights into the evolution of focal conic domains during phase transitions.

## Key findings

- Focal conic domains evolve with increasing eccentricity during the smectic A to nematic phase transition.
- A modeling approach accurately describes the phenomenon and identifies a coefficient resembling a critical exponent.

## Abstract

Focal conics are nice geometric structures of liquid crystal phases which present periodicity such as smectic phase, cholesteric phase, etc. Here, we focus on focal conic domains (FCD) in smectic A liquid crystal. During a phase transition from smectic A to nematic, these FCDs evolve as the eccentricity increases until they completely disappear. Here, we present experimental observations of this phenomenon, along with a modeling approach that allows for an interestingly precise description of the phenomenon, revealing, in particular, a coefficient that seems to exhibit the behavior of a critical exponent.