Liquid Crystals

'... the volume succeeds in its goals and should be a valuable resource for anyone undertaking advanced research in liquid crystals.' Andrew Briggs, Times Higher Education Supplement ' ... well written and referenced ... good and informative.' Chemistry in Britain 'Liquid Crystals competently and elegantly covers the principal techniques used to investigate liquid crystals - these include polarizing microscopy, differential scaning polarizing microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffraction, nuclear magnetic resonance and light scattering ... There is a remarkable chapter on freely suspended films - films stretched across a hole in a plate so that they are not in contact with the solid surface on either side ... For students about to embark on experimental investigations of thermotropic, nematic or smectic systems, this book could be one of their best buys.' John Lydon, Nature 'It will make a useful addition to the ever-growing array of books discussing liquid crystals and related fields. It will be particularly useful to anyone interested in gaining understanding of the experimental techniques that it discusses.' S. J. Elston, Contemporary Physics 'The book is a remarkable work that is especially well suited to the needs of advanced graduate students familiar with the basics of condensed matter physics and the structural aspects of materials science ... It is comprehensive, judicious in its choices and the style is crisp and concise ... sufficiently comprehensive to serve as a starting point for anyone who wants to learn about the state of the art in liquid crystal physics ... the book I show to students first is Kumar's.' Christian Brosseau, Optics & Photonics News