Electro-optic characteristics of de Vries tilted smectic liquid crystals: Analog behavior in the smectic A and smectic C phases

Chiral smectic A liquid crystal materials of the de Vries type (with molecules tilted relative to the layer normal) exhibit analog field-induced (electroclinic) optic axis rotation accompanied by an increase in birefringence. We identify two such de Vries smectic A* materials and use them to develop...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Applied physics letters 2002-06, Vol.80 (22), p.4097-4099
Main Authors: Clark, N. A., Bellini, T., Shao, R.-F., Coleman, D., Bardon, S., Link, D. R., Maclennan, J. E., Chen, X.-H., Wand, M. D., Walba, D. M., Rudquist, P., Lagerwall, S. T.
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:Chiral smectic A liquid crystal materials of the de Vries type (with molecules tilted relative to the layer normal) exhibit analog field-induced (electroclinic) optic axis rotation accompanied by an increase in birefringence. We identify two such de Vries smectic A* materials and use them to develop and test models for these characteristic electro-optic effects. These materials also exhibit colossal analog field-induced optic axis rotation in the lower temperature smectic C* phase, a consequence of polarization charge stabilization, and of polarization screening of the applied field in the liquid crystal.
ISSN:0003-6951
1077-3118
DOI:10.1063/1.1480472