| Issue |
EPL
Volume 151, Number 2, July 2025
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Article Number | 25002 | |
| Number of page(s) | 6 | |
| Section | Atomic, molecular and optical physics | |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1209/0295-5075/adedb0 | |
| Published online | 11 August 2025 | |
Nematic twist angle due to the Casimir-Lifshitz torque from cholesteric liquid crystals(a)
School of Physics, Hefei University of Technology - Hefei, Anhui 230601, China
Received: 28 April 2025
Accepted: 9 July 2025
We theoretically explore the chirality-dependent Casimir-Lifshitz torque between nematic and cholesteric 5CB liquid crystals across nanometer-scale silica gaps ranging from 10 to 100 nm thick. Through the spiral staircase model, our calculations reveal that the angular position of the torque maximum varies with separation distance, accompanied by significant nematic twist angles (of up to 24°). We conclude that, under the conditions studied, it is possible to experimentally test the results of the spiral staircase model via the method introduced by Somers et al. (Somers D. A. T. et al., Nature, 564 (2018) 386).
© 2025 The author(s)
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