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Here we discuss the statistical mechanics of polydisperse liquid crystal systems. Three different kinds of liquid crystal systems are treated: nematic order in thermotropic Maier-Saupe-like systems and in lyotropic Onsager-like rod systems, and smectic order in a perfectly aligned hard rod fluid. In the first two cases we calculate the broadening of the isotropic-nematic transition. In the last case the suppression of smectic order is dealt with. We discuss the relationship between real systems and the models discussed in the paper.
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T. J. Sluckin (1989) studied this question.
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