title: Chiral smectic transition phases appearing near the electric-field-induced phase transition observed by resonant microbeam x-ray scattering.
abstract: The electric-field-induced phase transition of a chiral liquid crystal containing Br revealed a transition phase between the three-layer periodicity ferrielectric phase and the synclinic ferroelectric phase in the electric field versus temperature phase diagram. Resonant x-ray scattering from the transition phase showed a diffuse streak or spotty weak reflections, which were composed of strong m/3-order (where m = 1 and 2) reflections and other weak peaks. The spotty reflections were found to be related to a 12-layer periodicity phase with a weak contribution from the 15-layer periodicity. An x-ray intensity analysis based on the Ising model suggested that the 12-layer periodicity phase was composed of two three-layer ferrielectric blocks and six synclinic layers. This model indicated that, in the transition phase, the three-layer ferrielectric molecular configuration gradually changed to the synclinic configuration. The diffuse streak appearing around m/3-order reflections near the field-induced transition from the four-layer periodicity phase to the synclinic ferroelectric phase is also discussed.
authors.affiliation: Photon Factory, Institute of Materials Structure Science, High Energy Accelerator Research Organization, 1-1 Oho Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0801, Japan.
authors.forename: Atsuo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Iida
authors.affiliation: DIC Corporation, Komuro, Ina-machi, Kitaadachi-gun, Saitama, 362-8577, Japan.
authors.forename: Isa
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Nishiyama
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa-oiwake, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8502, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoichi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Takanishi