Spontaneous symmetry breaking in polar fluids

• Published in: Nature communications Vol. 15; no. 1; pp. 5845 - 9
• Main Authors: Gibb, Calum J., Hobbs, Jordan, Nikolova, Diana I., Raistrick, Thomas, Berrow, Stuart R., Mertelj, Alenka, Osterman, Natan, Sebastián, Nerea, Gleeson, Helen F., Mandle, Richard. J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 11.07.2024; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 639/638/298/919; 639/766/94; Ambient temperature; Antiferroelectricity; Binary mixtures; Broken symmetry; Crystals; Ferroelectric materials; Humanities and Social Sciences; Iron constituents; Lamellar structure; Light reflection; Liquid crystals; Melting point; Melting points; Molecular structure; multidisciplinary; Phases; Room temperature; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Spin structure; Symmetry

Spontaneous symmetry breaking and emergent polar order are each of fundamental importance to a range of scientific disciplines, as well as generating rich phase behaviour in liquid crystals (LCs). Here, we show the union of these phenomena to lead to two previously undiscovered polar liquid states o...