JOŽEF STEFAN INSTITUTE
Department of Complex Matter
Jamova cesta 39, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia

Dynamics of Quantum matter

We explore non-equilibrium many-body dynamics in quantum systems that experience symmetry-breaking, topological, or jamming transitions. These systems encompass superconductors, charge-density wave, and magnetic materials.

Experimental Soft Matter Physics

The research is conducted within the “Light and Matter” research program. The interaction of light with matter is one of the most important fields of physics and optical processes are indispensable in many branches of modern industry.

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December 15 - 19, 2024 , Krvavec, Slovenia
Together with the Department of Theoretical Physics at JSI we are organizing the 13th Nonequilibrium Quantum Workshop. The workshop intends to bring together scientists working in the field of: Ultrafast ...
Home / News / New Polar LC Phases and Room Temperature Fluid Ferroelectrics Revealed in Nature…

New Polar LC Phases and Room Temperature Fluid Ferroelectrics Revealed in Nature Communications

July 12, 2024

In a new study, researchers from the University of Leeds and their colleagues Natan Osterman, Alenka Mertelj, and Nerea Sebastian have revealed two previously undiscovered polar liquid states of matter. The research, published in Nature Communications, highlights the union of spontaneous symmetry breaking and emergent polar order, phenomena crucial to various scientific disciplines and the intriguing behavior of liquid crystals (LCs). The team discovered that these new phases have a lamellar structure with an inherent polar ordering of their constituent molecules. The first phase, termed SmCPH, exhibits polar order and a local tilted structure, with the tilt direction precessing around a helix orthogonal to the layer normal. This structure results in selective reflection of light. The second new phase, termed SmAAF, is anti-ferroelectric, with the molecules aligning orthogonally to the layer normal.

Furthermore, the researchers achieved room temperature ferroelectric nematic (NF) and SmCPH phases via binary mixture formulation of these novel materials with a standard NF compound. These mixtures have melting points (and/or glass transitions) significantly below ambient temperature. The newly discovered soft matter phases can be considered as electrical analogues of topological structures of magnetic spins in hard matter.

You can read the article here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-50230-2