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De Gennes' theory of pretransition effects in the isotropic liquid crystal phase is generalized to include number density and orientational fluctuations. Order fluctuations produce more efficient local packing of rod-shaped molecules with a resulting fluid contraction. This mechanism is proposed to explain the anomalous rise in compressibility and thermal expansivity of liquid crystals above the clearing temperature.
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John T. Bendler (1977) studied this question.
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