Molecular Dynamics Simulation Studies of a Model System for Liquid Crystals Consisting of Rodlike Molecules in NPT Ensemble

Molecular dynamics simulation studies for thermotropic liquid crystalline systems conposed of rodlike molecules with 6 Lennard-Jones interaction sites wre performed in NPT ensemble. Within the range of temperature studied, the system exhibited isotropic and smectic phase. For the characterization of the smectic phase, we examined the structure of the liquid crystalline phase via the radial distribution function, its longitudinal and transverse components to the director, and other orientational correlation function, its longitudinal and transverse components to the director, and other orientational correlation functions. In the smectic A phase, our results showed a large anisotropy in translational motion (i.e.,$D_⊥ >> D_∥$), and the decay of the collective orientational correlation function of rank two became slower than that of the single particle orientational correlation function of rank one. Comments on the spontaneous growth of orientational order directly from the isotropic phase are given.