Viscoelastic director rotation of a low molecular mass liquid crystal

We show evidence for a viscoelastic rotation of the spontaneous polarizatio n in a low molecular mass chiral ferroelectric smectic liquid crystal (SmC* ). A weak elastic modulus of similar to 10(2) Pa is sufficient to cause a u nique effect: the polarization turns perpendicular to sufficiently strong a .c. electric fields. Viscoelasticity is unusual for low molecular mass mate rials. We suggest that it is connected to the anisotropy of the positional order. This is an inherent property of liquid crystals, but has never been taken into account in macroscopic descriptions.