Linear and Nonlinear Electro-optic Response of MHPOCBC

Abstract

This study investigated the linear and second-order electro-optic responses in chiral smectic liquid crystal 4-(1-methylheptyloxycarbonyl) phenyl 4-octylcarbonyloxybiphenyl-4-carboxylate (MHPOCBC). The result revealed a single Debye-type relaxation in the linear electro-optic frequency dispersion, with a relaxation frequency extending up to one hundred kHz. Conversely, the second-order electro-optic response exhibited intricate temperature-dependence, accurately depicted by a phenomenological Landau theory around the SmA–SmCa* phase transition point. Notably, in the SmCa* phase, critical slowing down of the amplitude mode occurred near the transition to the SmA phase, while at lower temperatures of the SmCa* phase, a distinct low-frequency relaxation mode emerged. Furthermore, the relaxation frequency of the antiferroelectric Goldstone mode in the SmCA* phase remained constant across the entire temperature range. These findings should significantly contribute to the understanding of dynamic behaviors in chiral smectic liquid crystals, shedding light on their complex phase transitions and electro-optic properties.