Abstract
As a remarkable orientationally ordered soft-condensed matter system, the smectic- phase exhibits an incommensurate nanoscale helical pitch of more than four smectic layers. Recent theoretical advances predict the existence of a new phase showing a helical pitch of less than four smectic layers (). By applying a novel optical technique to the study of freestanding films with increments in thickness of one smectic layer, we have measured the size of this pitch using 633 nm HeNe laser light. Our results confirm the existence of the newly predicted phase in one unique compound.
- Received 18 March 2003
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.91.125502
©2003 American Physical Society