title: Spontaneous breaking of minimal surface condition: labyrinths in free standing smectic films.
abstract: We present a study of thin free standing films made of intercalated smectic-C liquid crystal in which, upon lowering the temperature, the minimal surface area condition is broken. A periodic modulation of the film thickness is obtained and a labyrinth structure of crests and valleys is formed. Thickness variation is coupled to the spatial variation of the molecular orientation. The transition to the labyrinth structure is explained to be driven by the mass density difference between the surface and the bulk layers.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Warsaw University, Al. Zwirki i Wigury 101, 02-089 Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Damian
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pociecha
authors.forename: Ewa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gorecka
authors.forename: Natasa
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Vaupotic
authors.forename: Mojca
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cepic
authors.forename: Jozef
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mieczkowski