Determination of the Rotational Viscosity and of the Elastic Constant from Measurements of Switching Times and Threshold Voltage on Planar Oriented S c Phases

The Freedericksz transition of planar oriented S c phases was studied experimentally with an electrooptical method and the theoretically predicted reorientation along the S c tilt cone confirmed. Measurements of the threshold voltage and the switching times lead to the determination of the rotational viscosity and the elastic constant for five selected compounds with positive dielectric anisotropy.