Threshold voltage of the Freedericksz transition in a hexatic smectic I phase

Abstract

Using the linearized equations of the elastic continuum theory, simple formulae for the threshold voltage for the Freedericksz transition in planar films of the hexatic smectic I phase are derived. In contrast to the Freedericksz transition of a nematic film, this threshold strongly depends on the film thickness. The behaviour of the film in the weakly non-linear region slightly above the threshold is also considered to characterize the film instability.