Abstract
Polygonal deformation of concave smectic-A domains in isotropic phase induced by electric field has been observed in the binary mixtures of octyloxycyanobiphenyl with dodecyl alcohol. It is found that the number of sides of polygonally deformed smectic-A domains (m) is increased with electric field, and that at a constant electric field larger smectic-A domains possess higher values of m. These experimental findings can successfully be explained in terms of numerical solutions to the variation problem for equilibrium shapes of smectic-A phase in isotropic phase [H. Naito, M. Okuda and Z. Ou-Yang, Phys. Rev. Lett. 70, 2912 (1993)]. Electric-field induced polygonal deformation has also been observed in toroidal smectic-A domains and the experimental features similar to those of the polygonally deformed concave domains are found.
