Determination of the translational order parameter in the liquid crystalline smectic A phase using the x-ray diffraction method

Abstract

On the basis of our recently suggested fan-shaped scattering model [J. Chem. Phys. 92, 5099 (1990)], a method to calculate the translational order parameter τ for the uniaxially oriented liquid crystalline smectic phase is suggested. Using this method, τ is determined from the scattering profiles of the two-dimensional inner reflexes for two samples of the liquid crystalline side chain polymer in their smectic A phase. The relationship between ôand the orientational order parameter 〈P2〉 is discussed. © 1991 American Institute of Physics.