Twist modulated phases in chiral smectic liquid crystals

By considering short period helical planar modulations about the layer normal, we construct a model free energy for the ferriclinic phases observed in chiral smectic liquid crystals. We then use this free energy to construct the phase diagram for our model. The resulting phases are compared with the experimentally observed smectic-C* subphases (ferroclinic, antiferroclinic, and heliclinic). A strong coupling is found between the ferroclinic q=2pi/a and the heliclinic q=2pi/3a modes. This coupling was not considered in previous models. The resulting additional stability of this "locked in" phase is discussed.