Optical rotation and structure of ferrielectric smectic phases

I. Muševič and M. Škarabot
Phys. Rev. E 64, 051706 – Published 22 October 2001
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Abstract

We analyze the measured optical rotation in three- and four-layer smectic ferrielectric phases within the matrix approach to the light propagation. We show that “perfect” three- and four-layer structures with 120° and 90° phase rotation of the director in neighboring layers give negligible optical rotation of polarized light travelling along the normal to the smectic layers. Significant optical rotation is obtained in deformed three- and four-layer smectic phases. The analysis of the measured optical rotatory power clearly shows that three-layer ferrielectric phases of [4-(1-methylheptyloxycarbonylphenyl)-octylbiphenyl-4-carboxylate] and 4-[(4-{[1(*)-methyl]heptycarboxy}phenyl)carboxy]phenyl4-decyloxy-1-benzencarbatioate (10OTBBB1M7) are deformed with the deformation angle of 35°–45°. The deformation angle in the four-layer smectic phase of 10OTBBB1M7 is 70°–90°. This is in reasonable agreement with other experiments and suggests the validity of the “deformed clock model.”

  • Received 16 March 2001

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.64.051706

©2001 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

I. Muševič1,2 and M. Škarabot2

  • 1Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, University of Ljubljana, Jadranska 19, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
  • 2J. Stefan Institute, Jamova 39, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia

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Vol. 64, Iss. 5 — November 2001

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