Abstract
The twisted ferroelectric liquid-crystal structure is investigated using a smectic liquid-crystal that has a low tilt angle of about 25° in the smectic C* phase and has a smectic A phase. The twisted ferroelectric alignment is achieved in a cell that has non-parallel rubbed boundary conditions. Using a polarimeter the structure is investigated by using polarized light. The change of the polarization of the light, as the sample is rotated in the absence and in the presence of an applied field, is compared with the expected behavior based on a theoretical model. By measuring and by calculating Stokes parameters, we are able to demonstrate an agreement between the theory and the experiment, and verify that the twisted structure is produced in this material. This twisted structure shows analog switching in a low field regime.