T. Matsuo et al., ELECTRIC-FIELD RESPONSE OF AN ANTIFERROELECTRIC LIQUID-CRYSTAL IN THEBULK AND BOUNDARY REGIONS, Molecular crystals and liquid crystals science and technology. Section A, Molecular crystals and liquid crystals, 258, 1995, pp. 333-338
Optical transmission and attenuated total reflection (ATR) measurement
s have been performed on antiferroelectric MHPOBC(R) liquid crystal fi
lms in the chiral smectic C-A phase to investigate the electric field
response of the bulk and boundary layers, respectively. In the ATR mea
surement, a surface plasmon polariton is excited at the liquid-crystal
/silver-film interface as a probe of the field response of the boundar
y layer. A significant difference in threshold voltage as well as in f
ield responsivity is found between the bulk and boundary layers. These
results are discussed in short in this letter.