  The phase behavior of confined nematogens is studied using the Lebwohl-Lasher
model. For three dimensional systems the model is known to exhibit a
discontinuous nematic-isotropic phase transition, whereas the corresponding two
dimensional systems apparently show a continuous
Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless like transition. In this paper we study the
phase transitions of the Lebwohl-Lasher model when confined between planar
slits of different widths in order to establish the behavior of intermediate
situations between the pure planar model and the three-dimensional system, and
compare with previous estimates for the critical thickness, i.e. the slit width
at which the transition switches from continuous to discontinuous.
