Modulated Anti-Ferroelectric Smectic Phases with Orthogonal and Tilted Structures
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arXiv
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| Autori principali: | , , , , , , , |
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| Natura: | Preprint |
| Pubblicazione: |
2026
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| author | Hobbs, Jordan Gibb, Calum J. Ogle, William C. Rupnik, Peter Medle Osterman, Natan Sebastián, Nerea Mertelj, Alenka Mandle, Richard J. |
| author_facet | Hobbs, Jordan Gibb, Calum J. Ogle, William C. Rupnik, Peter Medle Osterman, Natan Sebastián, Nerea Mertelj, Alenka Mandle, Richard J. |
| contents | The discovery of the ferroelectric nematic phase has brought with it a plethora of new polar liquid crystalline phases. One in particular is the anti-ferroelectric smectic A SmA\textsubscript{AF} phase. In this letter we show via observation and analysis of satellite peaks in the X-ray scattering pattern that the structure of the SmA\textsubscript{AF} phase involves a density modulation of $\approx$10-20 nm lateral to the smectic layer normal. Further, we demonstrate a previously undiscovered phase where the anti-ferroelectric order is maintained into a tilted smectic phase demonstrating the robustness of the underlying frustration that leads to the modulated structure. We suggest that the modulations are only in a single dimension and appear parallel to the tilt plane. This new phase also shows a significantly different and complex response to an electric field from other discovered polar LC phases due to the ability to modulate both tilt and polarisation direction. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2602_13034 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Modulated Anti-Ferroelectric Smectic Phases with Orthogonal and Tilted Structures Hobbs, Jordan Gibb, Calum J. Ogle, William C. Rupnik, Peter Medle Osterman, Natan Sebastián, Nerea Mertelj, Alenka Mandle, Richard J. Soft Condensed Matter The discovery of the ferroelectric nematic phase has brought with it a plethora of new polar liquid crystalline phases. One in particular is the anti-ferroelectric smectic A SmA\textsubscript{AF} phase. In this letter we show via observation and analysis of satellite peaks in the X-ray scattering pattern that the structure of the SmA\textsubscript{AF} phase involves a density modulation of $\approx$10-20 nm lateral to the smectic layer normal. Further, we demonstrate a previously undiscovered phase where the anti-ferroelectric order is maintained into a tilted smectic phase demonstrating the robustness of the underlying frustration that leads to the modulated structure. We suggest that the modulations are only in a single dimension and appear parallel to the tilt plane. This new phase also shows a significantly different and complex response to an electric field from other discovered polar LC phases due to the ability to modulate both tilt and polarisation direction. |
| title | Modulated Anti-Ferroelectric Smectic Phases with Orthogonal and Tilted Structures |
| topic | Soft Condensed Matter |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.13034 |