Chiral strain and reentrancy in blue-phase transitions

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Abstract
We have studied the effect of chiral strain on phase transitions in a chiral material by examining the cholesteric (Ch) blue-phase (BP) liquid-crystal system in the Cano-wedge configuration. We observe both Ch and BP Cano rings whose positions are explained by Ch elastic theory. In the phase-transition region, chiral strain causes the positions of the Ch-BP coexistence rings to be temperature dependent and to exhibit reentrancy with respect to chiral strain. A free-energy model is presented which explains the gross features of the positions of the coexistence rings.