Smectic phases with cubic symmetry: the splay analog of the blue phase

Phys Rev Lett. 2002 Nov 18;89(21):215504. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.89.215504. Epub 2002 Nov 1.

Abstract

We report on a construction for smectic blue phases, which have quasi-long-range smectic translational order as well as long-range cubic or hexagonal order. Our proposed structures fill space with a combination of minimal surface patches and cylindrical tubes. We find that for the right range of material parameters, the favorable saddle-splay energy of these structures can stabilize them against uniform layered structures.