This article is cited in 19 papers

Orientational defects in freely suspended smectic $C$ films

P. V. Dolganov^a, B. M. Bolotin<sup>b

a</sup> Institute of Solid State Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences
^b State scientific-research Institute for chemical agents and especially pure chemical substance

Abstract: Linear orientational defects ($2\pi$ and $\pi$ walls) in freely suspended thin smectic $C$ films exposed to a magnetic field were studied. The bend and splay elastic constants, as well as the orientational viscosity of a two-dimensional $\mathbf{c}$-director field, were determined. It was established that a change in the polar and azimuthal angles of magnetic-field orientation in a sample cardinally transforms the wall structure. This is caused by the anisotropy of orientational elasticity of the $\mathbf{c}$ director.

PACS: 61.30.Jf, 82.70.Dd

Received: 20.03.2003

 English version: Journal of Experimental and Theoretical Physics Letters, 2003, 77:8, 429–433

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