Surface-anisotropy-induced linear electro-optic effect in a nematic liquid crystal

A liquid-crystal cell treated for homeotropic alignment with different surfactants at the two surfaces was subjected to an electric field E in the plane of the cell. The differential optical retardation δα was found to be linear in field over a frequency range 10${\mathrm{s}}^{\mathrm{-}1}$, where d(δα)/dE∝${\mathrm{\omega }}^{\mathrm{-}1}$. A model is proposed that explains this result and facilitates the determination of the anchoring strength coefficient W. © 1996 The American Physical Society.