Electrooptics of mm-scale polar domains in the ferroelectric splay nematic phase

Abstract: The recent discovery of the ferroelectric splay nematic phase has opened the door to experimental investigation of one of the most searched liquid crystal phases in decades, with high expectations for future applications. However, at this moment, there are more questions than answers. In this work, we examine the formation and structure of large polar nematic domains of the ferroelectric splay nematic material RM734 in planar liquid crystals cells with different aligning agents and specifications. We observe that confining surfaces have a strong influence over the formation of different types of domains, resulting in various twisted structures of the nematic director. For those cells predominantly showing mm-scale domains, we investigate the optical and second harmonic generation switching behaviour under applications of electric fields with a special focus on in-plane fields perpendicular to the confinement media rubbing direction. In order to characterize the underlying structure, the polar optical switching behaviour is reproduced using a simplified model together with Berreman calculations.