We present a theoretical analysis of static and dynamic properties of freely suspended films of the smectic-$C_{\alpha }^{*}$ phase in an external electric field, applied along the smectic layers. The analysis is performed within the “clock” model, where the interactions up to next-nearest neighbors are considered. The calculated critical electric field for the unwinding of the smectic-$C_{\alpha }^{*}$ phase is of the order of several 100 V/mm and strongly depends on the interlayer interactions. The calculated relaxation rates of the eigenfluctuations of a system of N layers are in the kilohertz range for phase fluctuations and several megahertz for amplitude fluctuations.

• Received 19 November 2001

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.65.061705