Twin-like textures in thin chiral smectic C liquid crystal samples

Abstract

In chiral smectic C phases of liquid crystals with the phase transition N* - Sc* domains of rectangular-like shape are observed. As two possible inclinations of smectic layers are possible for one anchoring direction, smectic layers inside a domain, called twin-like domain, are inclined with respect to layers in the outside region similarly as crystalline planes in solid crystalline twins. An elastic model of such a twin domain is proposed and its energy determined.

Keywords:

• ferroelectric liquid crystals
• edge dislocations
• wedge disclinations