Solitons Pertaining to Phase Boundary between Chiral Smectic C and Smectic C Phases

Abstract

A phase boundary between chiral smectic C phase (Sm C^*) and smectic C phase (Sm C) is studied on the basis of a concept soliton, or kink, of an order parameter. A coupling between a tilt angle and an azimuthal one of the order parameter is important in the vicinity of transition point between Sm C^* and Smectic A. There, 6π- and 10π-solitons are found in addition to the ordinary 2π-soliton. An excitation energies of the formers are smaller than that of the latter, in agreement with an expected attractive interaction between solitons.