Magnetic Field Alignment of the Cholesteric Phase

Magnetic Field Alignment of the Cholesteric Phase

Long-range orientation of cholesteric liquid crystalline DNA mesophases occurs at magnetic field strengths exceeding 2 Tesla. The image presented above illustrates this long-range order in DNA solutions approaching 300 milligrams per milliliter. Parallel lines denoting the periodicity of the cholesteric mesophase appear at approximately 45-degrees from the axis of the image boundaries. The photomicrograph magnification is approximately 600x. Originally recorded on Fujichrome 64T transparency film using a Nikon Optiphot-Pol microscope with crossed polarized illumination, the image above was digitized using a Nikon CoolScan transparency film scanner. Exposures were recorded about 3 f-steps under the recommended value given by an in-camera photomultiplier and were push-processed approximately 1.5 f-steps in the first E-6 developer.

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