experiment on ferroelectric smectics	experiment on ferroelectric smectics	three fingers (20Volts) - theory	five fingers (60Volts) - theory	number of fingers versus voltage - theory

  In a low frequency electric field (10Hz) applied in the ferroelectric smectics one observes characteristic deformations of the sample which are due to the coupling between the dislocations, polarization vector and the electric field. The important effect in this experiment is a partial lifting of the screening of the charges in the sample allowing for a long-range electrostatic interactins to come into play.

1. R.Holyst, A.Poniewierski, P.Fortmeier and H.Stegemeyer

"Coupling of polarization and dislocation in ferroelectric smectic liquid crystal films", Phys.Rev.Lett 81 , 5848-5851, (1998).