title: Second-harmonic generation from rubbed ferroelectric liquid crystal mesogenic monolayer surfaces.
abstract: We have designed self-assembled monolayers of molecules containing a ferroelectric liquid crystal mesogen attached to a glass surface through an alkane chain. After mechanical rubbing these layers induce a single domain in a cell containing a high-polarization achiral liquid crystal in the smectic-C phase. We have used optical second-harmonic generation to demonstrate that this behavior is explained by rubbing-induced in-plane anisotropy of the angular distribution function that describes the ensemble of mesogenic units. The surface order parameter is 0.094, a substantial fraction of what has been observed for rubbed polymeric alignment layers.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309, USA.
authors.forename: C S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: T E
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Furtak
authors.forename: N A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Clark
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Liberko
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Walba