Approach to a second-order nematic-isotropic phase transition in a lyotropic liquid crystal

Abstract
We report on the results of a magnetic birefringence study of the nematic-isotropic transition in the lyotropic liquid crystal cesium perfluoro-octanoate in water. The transition is weakly first order at TK with mean-field divergences and a virtual second-order transition temperature that can be within 20 mK of TK.