| Issue |
Europhys. Lett.
Volume 54, Number 2, April 2001
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Page(s) | 168 - 174 | |
| Section | Condensed matter: structural, mechanical and thermal properties | |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1209/epl/i2001-00291-y | |
| Published online | 01 December 2003 | |
Multigap ferroelectric and antiferroelectric smectic phases
1
Groupe Structure de la Matière sous Conditions
Extremes
SNBL/ESRF - 38043 Grenoble, France
2
LPMC, Université de Picardie - 80039 Amiens, France
Received:
4
December
2000
Accepted:
25
January
2001
We present a phenomenological model describing spatial modulations of the (anti)polarization in chiral tilted smectic phases. The helical instability of the polarization field direction combines with a second instability associated with the polarization amplitude. We predict new structures exhibiting a mismatch between the helix pitch and the amplitude modulation length. These incommensurate phases display extraordinary optical properties, resulting from a multi-gap band structure in their electromagnetic dispersion relations. Such structures could be used as natural photonic crystals.
PACS: 61.30.Cz – Molecular and microscopic models and theories of liquid crystal structure / 61.44.Fw – Incommensurate crystals / 61.30.Gd – Orientational order of liquid crystals; electric and magnetic field effects on order
© EDP Sciences, 2001
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