The hysteretic behavior of „V-shaped switching” smectic materials

Abstract

We have investigated the electro-optic response below the bulk SmC* to SmC_a* transition in materials exhibiting thresholdless, V-shaped switching in the SmC* phase. We are able to explain the very complicated hysteretic behavior observed in these materials and its dependence on frequency, temperature and field strength. Strong polar surface anchoring causes coexistence of stable or metastable synclinic (SmC*) domains and stable anticlinic (SmC_a*) domains during switching. The resulting response has intermediate steps in the transmission-voltage curves which in the past may have been misinterpreted as ferrielectric states or phases.

Key Words:

• V-shaped switching
• hysteresis
• hysteresis
• hysteresis
• hysteresis
• inverse hysteresis
• polar surface anchoring
• phase coexistence
• ferroelectric
• antiferroelectric