title: Smectic-A*-smectic-C* transition in a ferroelectric liquid crystal without smectic layer shrinkage.
abstract: The smectic layer spacing of a nonfluorinated ferroelectric liquid crystal (FLC) compound with almost no shrinkage and only minor tendency to form zigzag defects was characterized by small angle x-ray diffraction. The material lacks a nematic phase. The smectic-A*-smectic-C* phase transition was studied by measuring the thermal and electric field response of the optical tilt and the electric polarization. These properties are described very well by a Landau expansion even without introduction of a higher-order Theta(6) term. This result suggests a pure second-order phase transition far from tricriticality and differs considerably from the typical behavior of the A*-C* transition in most FLC materials.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Physical Chemistry, Clausthal University of Technology, Arnold-Sommerfeld-Strasse 4, D-38678 Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Germany.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Giesselmann
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zugenmaier
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Dierking
authors.forename: S T
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Lagerwall
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Stebler
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kaspar
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Hamplová
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Glogarová