Abstract
In order to to clarify the molecular reorientation behavior induced by polarization inversion for ferroelectric liquid crystal, an electric current along the direction perpendicular to both the electric field and the smectic layer normal was measured for the cell with a thickness of 50 μm. The electric current curve against time upon the application of an a.c. electric field with a form of triangular wave showed a peak originate from polarization inversion and the sign of the peak value of the current changed from + to - or from - to + corresponding to the polarity inversion of the electric field. This indicates that the liquid crystal molecules homogeneously rotate in the same direction upon the polarity inversion. The rotational direction was also clarified under polarized optical microscope observation as the director change during the polarization inversion in the case of the free standing film.
