CRITICAL TILT ANGLE FOR THE OPTICAL-PROPERTIES OF SHORT PITCH CHIRAL SMECTIC LIQUID-CRYSTALS

The optical properties of short pitch chiral smectic C liauid crystals change drastically around a given critical lilt angle, theta(c). At t his angle, the material behaves as an optically isotropic liquid but w ith a strong optical activity for light propagating orthogonally to th e helix axis. It is shown that the polarization properties of the refl ected and transmitted beams undergo large changes even for small varia tions of the tilt angle around the critical one. Some possible applica tions of the investigated effect are briefly discussed.