title: Surface-induced ordering effect in one antiferroelectric liquid crystal compound.
abstract: Null transmission ellipsometer was employed to study the surface-induced tilt transition of an antiferroelectric liquid crystal compound in the bulk smectic- A (SmA) temperature range. The data of the surface tilt transition can be fitted with an extended mean-field model. These results indicate the transition is near a mean-field tricritical point. The surface layers' tilt directions are found to be in different planes several degrees above the bulk SmA-SmC_{alpha};{ *} transition.
authors.affiliation: School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA.
authors.forename: Lidong
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.forename: Shun
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: C S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Hsu
authors.forename: C C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Huang