Director structures of a chiral Smectic I liquid crystal in the surface stabilized geometry

Abstract

The director structures of the Smectic I* (SmI*) liquid crystal 8SI, confined in the surface stabilized ferroelectric liquid crystal cell geometry, were studied using the polarized light microscope. Upon cooling from smectic C* (SmC*) to SmI* phase, the zigzag defects of the C* phase were unchanged indicating that the chevron layer structure remains in the SmI* phase. This phase transition is first order with Sml* domains growing from the SmC* background. Eight stable states were observed in the Sml* phase. These states were divided into two groups of four, separated by the chevron interface transition, revealed by its characteristic boat shaped switching domains. Additionally there were three surface transitions at each bounding glass plate with stripe shaped domains. The polarization P-director n configurations for all eight states are presented.