Theoretical and experimental study of the orientational ordering in the field-induced intermediaite phase from the SmC*FI2 phase in chiral smectic liquid crystals

TL;DR

This paper combines theoretical modeling and experimental insights to analyze the phase transitions and orientational ordering in chiral smectic liquid crystals under electric fields, focusing on intermediate phases with three-layer periodicity.

Contribution

It extends the H-T model to explain the emergence of intermediate phases in chiral smectic liquid crystals under electric fields, supported by numerical analysis and experimental correlation.

Findings

Intermediate phase has a three-layer periodicity.

Numerical analysis confirms experimental observations.

Theoretical model explains phase transition dynamics.

Abstract

Under an electric field, chiral smectic liquid crystals transit usually to the unwound SmC* phase where the helical structure is completely unrolled. Sometimes the sample transits initially towards an intermediate polar state before the total destruction of the helix. Based on the extension of the H-T model, a theoretical study of these field-induced phase transitions was carried out. Two hypotheses of the dynamics that give rise to the appearance of the intermediate phase have been discussed. The results of a numerical analysis confirm the known experimental results; the intermediate phase has a three-layer periodicity structure.