conveys in less than 70pages the breadth and excitement of the whole field. Chapters Four to Six have not undergone The Physics of Liquid Crystals, Second Edition significant change, apart from the de- by P G de Gennes and .I Prost, InternationalSeriesof Monographs scription of blue phases within the frame- work of two complementary models. on Physics No 83,published OUP (1993) ISBN 0 19 852024 7 Chapters Seven to Ten contain detailed 1 1 i Reviewed bu 0 D Lavrentovich, Liquid Crystal Institute, descriptions of a vast variety of smectic and columnar liquid crystals. Special Kent State University, Kent, Ohio 44242, USA. emphasis on these one-and two-dimen- sionally ordered phases is exemplified by Liquid crystals have attracted physicists stream modern physics underlie the ne- amazing results obtained recently: twist- from the beginning of this century. How- cessity for a new publication. The new grainboundaryandhexaticphases,freely ever only in 1974 was the long-felt need version significantly extends the descrip- suspended films, ferroelectric smectics, I for a maior monoara~hon the ohvsics of tion of smectic ~ h a s e s and . introduces liquid chstals met by P G de dennes. readers to the physics of columnar liquid The authors have managed throughout The first edition of The Physics of Liquid crystals. As written in the Preface, this to retain the spirit of parallel interpreta- Crystals has served as an educational extension was made possible mainly by tion in terms of qualitative physical ideas and unifying guide for the whole liquid the efforts of J Prost, one of the pioneers and mathematical formulae. This ap- crystal community, and the book helped and major contributors in the area of proach makes many quite delicate prob- to transform the field of liauid crvstals into liauid crvstals. lems accessible for a general audience. one of the cornerstones' of 'soft matter' Examples include the description of thin The second edition Of The Physics Of science. free-standing smectic films, Kosterlitz- Liquid Crystals preserves and -rhouless phase transitions developable Only twenty years ago many properties all the features that made the first edition domains in columnar hexatic of liquid crystals seemed to be mysteri- a classic text. One of the book's many bond ordering and the celebrated super- ous oddities, while now they are suc- strengths is its two-level style of descrip- conductivity analogy with the theoretical cessfully used in display applications. tion. Mathematical theory and qualitative prediction of twist-grain boundary phases What is more, they are willingly taken as physical pictures are masterfully welded as its most exciting result, starting points, reference systems and together. As a result the book is equally physical models for scientists working in valuable for those who prefer physical The material of this book is of exceptional such different fields as anisotropic ideas in their simplest form, and for those value to scientists. The major criticism superfluids, surfactant films or even cos- who appreciate the beauty of liquid crys- concerns what the book does not con- mology. talsonly through the languageof correla- tain. Some "little corners in the painting" I tion functions, renormalisation groups, are deliberately sacrificed: for all its uni- Rapid development of the field and the transformation of liquid crystals into main- .- fluxes and coniuqate forces. versality The Physics of Liquid Crystals cannot cover everything, and theriare a Chapter One gives an introduction to and few features that might have deserved general classification of liquid crystals, From the Secretary more attention. One of them is the diver- including both thermotropicand lyotropic (cont. from p 6) gence contributions to the elastic free phases. It shows how the spatial organi- energy functionals, known also as will affiliate to the ILCS. Furthermore, it is a sation of different building units leads to k,,(mixed splay and bend) and k, (sad- policy of the Society to disseminate and three basic mesomorphic classes: dle-splay) terms in the theory of nematics encourage liquid crystal research espe- nematics,smectics and columnar phases. and the k(saddle-splay)term in smectics. cially in emerging countries in order to help Symmetry classification is accompanied Deriving Frank-Oseen functionals, the them initiate new programmes and bring by a qualitative analysis of elastic proper- authors notethat divergenceelastic terms new ideas to liquid crystal science and ties and fluctuations. Step-by-step the may be discarded, since they can be applications. authors sharpen the descriptions of liq- transformed intosurface energies (p100). uid crystal phases, proceeding from in- In his latest Presidentialmessage, Geoffrey Such a transformation, however, does tuitive molecular models to rigorous defi- Luckhurst emphasised that it is important not prove that the divergence energies nitions in terms of long-range, quasi- that the Society continues to develop in are negligible in comparison with the long-range and short-range order. response to the needs of its members. In usual "bulk eneraies- .(both of them scale fact the ILCS is enlarging its objectives, as Long-range orientational order in the linearly with the system's size, whatever has been reported in Liquid Crystals To- nematic phase is described in Chapter way of integration is chosen). Neither day, and a review of its activities is to be Two. The authors discuss the scalar and does it prove that the divergence ener- undertaken to realise how these should tensor order parameters, and give a brief gies can be taken into account by develop further, There will be continual but comprehensive analysis of statistical renormalising the interfacial (anchoring) stimulus and challenge for members to theories and phenomenological Landau- energy. Another issue worthy of consid- respond to, and I feel the Society needs all de Gennes approach. New subsections eration is that of surface phenomena; the their best efforts. In acceptingthe invitation deal with Monte Carlo computer calcula- last decade has brought many interest- to act as Secretary, I know I will have the tions and the biaxial nematic phase. ing results in this area (e.g. subsurface fullest support from the President, and the orientational and translational ordering past Secretary and present Editor of this Chapter Three is central for understand- ing the phenomenological theory of different from that in the bulk) that are not Newsletter, David Dunmur. I am also urg- duly emphasised in books on liquid crys- ing the members of the Society to share nematics. The authors start with Frank- Oseen elastic theory, and explain how to tals. with me their opinions and comments, so that the society can continue to meet their find equilibrium director distributions and Without a doubt;this book will remain an needs. balance of torques. They give an intro- excellent guide for researchersand gradu- duction to surface anchoring effects, and ate students studying different "soft mat- G Gaiii, Dipartimento di Chimica e i Chimica Industriale, Universlta Degll proceed to dielectric, diamagnetic and ter" systems. If "soft matter" science has Studi di Pisa, Via Rlsorgimento 35, flexoelectric phenomena, finally conclud- a bright future, then it is definitely brought 56126 Pisa, Italy. FAX: 39-50-28438 ing with the theory of director fluctuations closer by The Physics of Liquid Crystals.