THE INVESTIGATION OF THE RELAXATION PROCESSES IN ANTIFERROELECTRIC LIQUID-CRYSTALS BY ELECTROOPTIC SPECTROSCOPY

Electrooptic spectroscopy of an antiferroelectric liquid crystal is ca rried out over a range of frequencies from 1 Hz to 100 kHz. In the ant iferroelectric SmCA phase two relaxation processes an found, one at th e fundamental frequency of a mode and the second at twice the frequenc y of a different mode. A comparison of the results of the electro-opti c spectroscopy with a theoretical study of the motion of the director of an antiferroelectric helix subject to a weak alternating field enab les a determination of the origin of the relaxation processes in antif erroelectric phases. (C) 1998 American Institute of Physics. [S0003-69 51(98)01114-0].