title: Optical studies on the surface-induced tilted layers in freestanding films of two no-layer-shrinkage liquid crystal compounds.
abstract: Null transmission ellipsometry has been employed to study the molecular arrangements in freestanding films of two no-layer-shrinkage liquid crystal homologous compounds above the bulk smectic A-smectic C* (Sm C*) transition temperature. An unusual nonplanar-parallel or nonplanar-antiparallel-parallel transition has been observed in both compounds under a proper electric field. With the addition of one CH2 group, while the SmC* phase is more stable thermally, the magnitude of the critical field needed to induce a parallel-antiparallel transition decreases dramatically.
authors.affiliation: School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA.
authors.forename: S T
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: X F
authors.initials: XF
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Z Q
authors.initials: ZQ
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: B K
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: McCoy
authors.forename: C C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Huang