Effect of azimuthal surface layer anchoring on field-induced layer reorientation in a short pitch ferroelectric liquid crystal

The concept of the azimuthal surface layer anchoring (ASLA) is introduced t o describe the field-induced layer reorientation in a short pitch ferroelec tric liquid crystal (FLC). It was found that for the larger ASLA, the small er layer reorientation occurs and saturates in the high field regime, espec ially near both surfaces. The ASLA tends to renormalize the surface interac tions which produce the asymmetric director switching. It is suggested that the ASLA acts as a hindered restoring force for the layer reorientation.