Layer rotation mechanism in the chiral smectic C phase

Abstract

The authors propose a model for the layer rotation of the chiral smectic C (SmC*) phase, which is intended to give answers to some basic questions about smectic layer rotation. They have proposed that layer rotation is related to the electroclinic effect, by which an induced asymmetric population density of the director for each asymmetric ac cycle is induced. In our modeling, the driving force for the layer rotation is the deformation of the molecular coupling configuration and a volume change by the tilt cone rotation.