title: Optical studies of the liquid crystal B2 phase formed by banana-shaped molecules.
abstract: Null-transmission ellipsometry and depolarized light microscopy have been performed on free-standing films of three achiral banana-shaped compounds in the B2 phase. Our results support a two-layer unit cell previously proposed to explain the observed antiferroelectricity in thin films and bulk samples. We have studied thicker films than previously reported and have found no deviations in the film structure from the earlier findings. Moreover, we can determine the layer spacing, the molecular tilt from the layer normal, and the three principal indices of refraction in the molecular reference frame.
authors: School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
authors: D A
authors: DA
authors: Olson
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Veum
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Cady
authors: M V
authors: MV
authors: D'Agostino
authors: P M
authors: PM
authors: Johnson
authors: H T
authors: HT
authors: Nguyen
authors: L C
authors: LC
authors: Chien
authors: C C
authors: CC
authors: Huang