Eur. Phys. J. B 6, 355-362 (1998)
https://doi.org/10.1007/s100510050561

Induced ferrielectricity in antiferroelectric liquid crystals

¹ Technical University of Munich, Laboratory of Biophysics E22, James-Franck Street 85747 Garching, Germany
² Département de Physique, Université d'Amiens, 80000 Amiens, France

Received: 23 October 1997
Revised: 8 April 1998
Accepted: 14 July 1998
Published online: 15 December 1998

Abstract

The behaviour of the antiferroelectric SmC_A liquid crystal phase under applied electric field is discussed theoretically. The phase diagram involving the SmA, SmC_A and SmC phases is worked out and shown to exhibit a Lifshitz critical point. The deformation of the bilayer structures induced by the field transforms the SmC_A phases into a ferrielectric phase whose specific configuration is described.