title: Orientational action of edge dislocations on the director field in antiferroelectric smectic-C_{A}^{*} films.
abstract: We report imaging of the director field near edge dislocations in thermotropic antiferroelecric smectic-C_{A}^{*} (SmC_{A}^{*}) liquid crystal. Measurements were made in freestanding films with thickness from two to ten smectic layers. We find two different orientations of the molecular tilt plane with respect to the edge dislocation line. The orientation is determined by the value of the Burgers vector of the dislocation. Elementary edge dislocation and dislocations with a Burgers vector equal to an odd number of layers orient the tilt plane perpendicular on the two sides of the dislocation. Dislocations with a Burgers vector equal to an even number of layers orient the molecular tilt plane parallel to the dislocation line. Difference in the orientation for an odd Burgers vector can be attributed to breaking of antiferroelectric symmetry by the edge dislocation.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Solid State Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Chernogolovka, Moscow Region 142432, Russia.
authors.forename: P V
authors.initials: PV
authors.lastname: Dolganov
authors.affiliation: Institute of Solid State Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Chernogolovka, Moscow Region 142432, Russia.|Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Dolgoprudny, Moscow Region 141700, Russia.
authors.forename: N S
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Shuravin
authors.affiliation: Institute of Solid State Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Chernogolovka, Moscow Region 142432, Russia.
authors.forename: V K
authors.initials: VK
authors.lastname: Dolganov
authors.affiliation: Trinity College, Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University of Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland.
authors.forename: Atsuo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fukuda