title: Deuterium nuclear-magnetic-resonance study of a chiral smectic-C{*} phase.
abstract: This study reports deuterium nuclear-magnetic-resonance (NMR) spectra collected at 61.4MHz in the chiral smectic- C phase of liquid crystal 4{'}(octyloxy)-d{17} biphenyl-4- yl2 -chloro-3-methylpentanoate (BP8Cl). By using a goniometer probe, the oriented sample was rotated to collect spectra at different rotation (theta) angles. These spectra were simulated to gain information on solitonlike distortions in the helical superstructure. The Landau theory was adopted to study the distortion of the helix by the NMR magnetic field. Deuterium two-dimensional exchange experiments were also used on the aligned sample at theta=15 degrees to obtain dynamic parameters through the spectral simulation. The interlayer diffusion constants in the SmC{*} phase were estimated from a proton T(1) dispersion study. The pitch length of BP8Cl is estimated to be circa 2-3 microns at one temperature.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada R3T 2N2.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ferraz
authors.forename: A C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Ribeiro
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Sebasti O
authors.forename: Ronald Y
authors.initials: RY
authors.lastname: Dong