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A phenomenological theory for the cholesteric phase induced by a chiral solute in a nematic solvent is derived from (i) the continuum representation of twist deformation of the nematic solvent, and (ii) the surface anchoring energy approximation for the interactions between the solvent and a solute of given shape. This allows a simple explanation of the stabilization of the solvent twist deformation by the interactions with chiral solute. A straightforward statistical elaboration leads to the well known inverse proportionality between the pitch of the cholesteric phase and the solute concentration. The corresponding proportionality coefficient, i. e. , the twisting power of the solute, is then related to the asymmetry of the solute shape through a chirality order parameter. 1996 The American Physical Society.
Ferrarini et al. (Mon,) studied this question.