Fluctuation forces stabilizing two kinds of staircases in chiral tilted fluid smectics frustrated between ferro- and antiferro-electricity

Fukuda, A. and Hakoi, H. and Sato, M. and Osipov, Mikhail (2003) Fluctuation forces stabilizing two kinds of staircases in chiral tilted fluid smectics frustrated between ferro- and antiferro-electricity. Molecular Crystals and Liquid Crystals, 398 (1). pp. 169-187. ISSN 1542-1406 (https://doi.org/10.1080/15421400390221628)

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Abstract

Conventional dispersion and steric interactions between mesogenic molecules generally promote SmC*, while the interlayer orientational correlation between transverse molecular dipoles stabilizes anticlinic SmC A *. Ferroelectric and antiferroelectric orders thus produced are frustrated because of the X-Y freedom and the low-energy barrier between them. We can naturally explain not only a series of subphases between SmC A * and SmC* but also the staircase character of SmC f * emerging just below SmA by using the Casimir type long-range interaction due to polarization fluctuations, if we take account of the discrete flexoelectric polarization appropriately in addition to the ordinary one.

ORCID iDs

Fukuda, A., Hakoi, H., Sato, M. and Osipov, Mikhail ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1836-1854;