Transient light scattering of a ferroelectric and an antiferroelectric liquid crystal with short pitch

The electrooptic properties due to the transient light scattering mode (TSM) are studied for non-aligned ferroelectric and antiferro-electric liquid crystals with short pitch. The transient light scattering appears in thick samples without polarizers if the sign of an applied de field is reversed. As a consequence, an ac field of suitable frequency can be used to switch the sample from a transparent to a scattering state. Due to the short pitch, a colored scattering can be observed under oblique angles. The latter effect provides high contrast ratios.