The effect of the polarization electric field on helix-unwinding in a planar chiral smectic C liquid-crystal cell |
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| Authors: | Tadashi Akahane Nobuyuki Itoh Masahiro Nakagawa |
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| Institution: | Department of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering , The Technological University of Nagaoka , Kamitomioka, Nagaoka, Niigata , 940-21 , Japan |
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| Abstract: | The effect of the polarization electric field on helix-unwinding in a thin planar chiral smectic C liquid-crystal cell is studied by using the nematic-like expression for the elastic deformation free-energy density. It is found that the elongation of the helical pitch when the cell thickness decreases is greater when the spontaneous polarization is larger. This is due to the Coulomb repulsion between polarization charges concentrated at ± 2π disclinations. |
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