Overview

This book presents the basic physics of ferroelectric and antiferroelectric liquid crystals in a simple and transparent way. It treats both the basic and the applied aspects of ferroelectric and antiferroelectric liquid crystal research, starting from the discovery of ferroelectricity in liquid crystals in 1975 and ending with the resonant X-ray experiment in ferrielectric and antiferrielectric phases in 1998. Particular attention is paid to the optical properties, electrooptic effects, phase transitions and experimental methods used in liquid crystal research. Special chapters are devoted to dielectric spectroscopy, light scattering, NMR, STM and AFM in complex fluids. The more than 300 illustrations help to present the basic physics of liquid crystalline ferroelectrics and antiferroelectrics in a way that can be easily followed by students, engineers and scientists dealing with liquid crystal research.Contents: Symmetry, ferroelectricity and antiferroelectricity in liquid crystalsChiral phases of achiral moleculesBroken symmetry and elementary excitationsLandau theory of ferroelectric and antiferroelectric liquid crystalsOrder parameter dynamics, soft modes and gapless phasonsFerroelectric liquid crystals in external magnetic and DC electric fieldsPhase transitions in thin cellsSurface-induced polaritySoliton and plane wave dynamics in thin cellsFreely suspended filmsLinear optics of helical structuresBirefringence, optical rotation and quasielastic light scattering in ferroelectric and antiferrolectric phasesLinear electrooptic response of ferroelectric and antiferroelectric liquid crystalsMagnetic-field induced biaxialityDielectric dispersionSoft and phase mode dynamicsDielectric response of a multisoliton latticePolarization noiseDeuteron NMR in ferroelectric and antiferroelectric liquid crystalsAnisotropy of the critical magnetic fieldPolar and quadrupolar biasing of molecular rotation around the long molecular axis14N NQR and 13C NMR in tilted smectic phasesSynclinic versus anticlinic ordering in tilted smecticsOrder parameter dynamics and a doubling of a smectic unit cell in antiferroelectric liquid crystalsOptical properties of the antiferroelectric phaseDielectric, linear and nonlinear electrooptic response of the antiferroelectric phaseFerroelectricity, antiferroelectricity and intermediate phasesDiscrete models of intermediate phasesSTM and AFM in complex liquidsSurface stabilized ferroelectric liquid crystal displaysUltrafast electroclinic effectDeformed helix mode ferroelectric displaysChevrons in SSFC displaysIon-director coupling and depolarization field in SSFLCDLandau theory of second order phase transitionsSurvey of different experimental methodsNuts and bolts collectionReadership: Graduate students, engineers and scientists dealing with liquid crystals and optical display.

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