Do thermotropic biaxial nematics exist? A Monte Carlo study of biaxial Gay-Berne particles

We have investigated with extensive Monte Carlo simulations in the isothermal isobaric ensemble a system of N=8192 elongated attractive-repulsive biaxial Gay-Berne (GB) particles. We have found uniaxial and biaxial nematic phases and a biaxial orthogonal smectic phase in this thermotropic model system. (C) 2000 American Institute of Physics. [S0021-9606(00)50338-9].