A field-reversal method for measuring the parameters of a ferroelectric liquid crystal

A method for measuring the spontaneous polarization P-s, the switching time , the rotational viscosity gamma (phi), and the d.c. conductivity sigma is presented. The possibilities of estimating the azimuthal angle phi (o), the dielectric anisotropy Delta epsilon and the dielectric permittivity epsilo n (perpendicular to) in the same experiment are also discussed. It is expli citly shown that the switching delay, though primarily dependent on the mat erial and the applied field, is also dependent on the geometry of the cell.