Showing papers by "John Bechhoefer published in 2000"
TL;DR: In this article, a detailed optical and atomic-force microscopy study of banding in a liquid crystalline material is presented, where the authors compare these bands in a diverse variety of materials to establish a general mechanism for their formation.
64 citations
TL;DR: Two quantitative tests of predictions based on the Halperin-Lubensky-Ma theory of fluctuation-induced first-order phase transitions find the first quantitative evidence for deviations from the HLM theory.
Abstract: We have conducted two quantitative tests of predictions based on the Halperin-Lubensky-Ma (HLM) theory of fluctuation-induced first-order phase transitions. First, we explore the effect of an external magnetic field on the nematic–smectic-A transition in a liquid crystal. Second, we examine the dependence of the first-order discontinuity as a function of mixture concentration in pure 8CB and three 8CB-10CB mixtures. We find the first quantitative evidence for deviations from the HLM theory.
39 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated the solidification of a mixture of maleic anhydride and 2% polyacrylonitrile as the undercooling is varied, showing banded spherulites with band spacings over an order of magnitude larger than any seen before.
12 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the autocovariance function of residual errors in least square curve fits is used to estimate the random error present in experimental data, along with the relative proportion of systematic to statistical error.
Abstract: From the autocovariance function of residual errors in least-square curve fits, one can estimate the random error present in experimental data, along with the relative proportion of systematic to statistical error. The methods outlined here have important implications for teaching error analysis.
8 citations