title: Topological ferroelectric bistability in a polarization-modulated orthogonal smectic liquid crystal.
abstract: We report a bent-core liquid crystal (LC) compound exhibiting two fluid smectic phases in which two-dimensional, polar, orthorhombic layers order into three-dimensional ferroelectric states. The lower-temperature phase has a uniform polarization field which responds in an analog fashion to applied electric field. The higher-temperature phase is a new smectic state with periodic undulation of the polarization, structurally modulated layers, and a bistable response to applied electric field which originates in the periodically splay-modulated bulk of the LC rather than by surface stabilization at the cell boundaries.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics and Liquid Crystal Materials Research Center, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309, USA.
authors.forename: Chenhui
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Renfan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Shao
authors.forename: R Amaranatha
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Reddy
authors.forename: Dong
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Yongqiang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.forename: Tao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Gong
authors.forename: Matthew A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Glaser
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Korblova
authors.forename: Per
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rudquist
authors.forename: Joseph E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Maclennan
authors.forename: David M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Walba
authors.forename: Noel A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Clark