Unique pitch evolution in the smectic-C+alpha phase.
Employing resonant x-ray diffraction, we observed unique pitch evolutions in the smectic-C*(alpha) phase in mixtures of two antiferroelectric liquid crystals. Our results show that the pitch in this phase continuously evolves across 4 layers, contradicting a theoretical model that predicts that the smectic-C*(FI2) phase intervenes in the smectic-C*(alpha) phase. The phase sequences we found can be explained by another model that includes one type of long-range interaction among smectic layers.
Liu
Z Q
ZQ
School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA.
McCoy
B K
BK
Wang
S T
ST
Pindak
R
R
Caliebe
W
W
Barois
P
P
Fernandes
P
P
Nguyen
H T
HT
Hsu
C S
CS
Wang
Shun
S
Huang
C C
CC