title: Optical studies on free-standing films of an achiral smectic liquid crystal.
abstract: Employing null transmission ellipsometry and depolarized reflected light microscopy, we have studied two smectic phases, Sm-C1 and Sm-C2, of one achiral mesogen. Our results show that Sm-C1 and Sm-C2 are the synclinic Sm-C and anticlinic Sm-C(A) phases, respectively. We find no evidence to support recent claims that the Sm-C1 is chiral and ferroelectric [R. Stannarius et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 90, 025502 (2003)].
authors.affiliation: School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA.
authors.forename: X F
authors.initials: XF
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: S T
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cady
authors.forename: Z Q
authors.initials: ZQ
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Findeisen
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Weissflog
authors.forename: C C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Huang