1c10 SmC*-SmC_A* continuous transition studied by electrooptical response and selective reflection

Abstract

A continuous transition between SmC^* and SmC_A^* phases in a binary mixture was studied by electric field induced birefringence (EFIB) and selective reflection measurements. We observed a divergent behavior of selective reflection and valley structure in the EFIB around 366K. We also found chimneys both sides of the valley in EFIB. These characteristic features are attributed to some intermediate states. We will discuss the possible structures of these intermediate states.