On the basis of the extended Landau mean field model for the SmA—SmC* phase transition the temperature dependence of the dielectric strength and of the characteristic relaxation frequency of the soft mode are analyzed and some parameters involved in the free energy expansion are determined. The analogies and differences between the influence of the aerosil density and a dc electric field are shown.
Acknowledgments
This work has been supported by the Fund for Scientific Research Flanders, Belgium (FWO, project G.0246.02). S.A.R. acknowledges the receipt of a senior postdoctoral fellowship from the Research Council of K.U. Leuven.