Light-Scattering Study of the Structure of Blue Phase III

Abstract

We measure the structure factors of both the isotropic liquid and the as yet poorly understood blue phase III (BPIII) in the vicinity of the transition between these two phases. The data taken in the isotropic phase are consistent with conventional short-range correlations decaying exponentially with distance, whereas the BPIII data indicate a new and different type of short-range order.