Surface and bulk order parameters of a nematic liquid crystal

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Abstract
The measurements of the anisotropy of the refractive index have been made for heptyl‐cyanobiphenyl (7CB) at the surface as well as in the bulk by the interferometric method. Using these data, order parameters S̄ at the surface and S in the bulk were calculated. The results show that S̄ is slightly larger than S in the nematic temperature region. S becomes zero in the isotropic region; nevertheless, the order parameter at the surface, S̄, still has a finite value even at temperatures above the clearing point.