Reply to "Behavior of electric susceptibility and electroclinic coefficient near the chiral smecticA−C*transition"

Very near the chiral smectic-$A$—smectic-$C$ phase transition, the correlation length of the fluctuations in the smectic-$A$ phase is larger than the pitch of the helical structure within the fluctuations. Above this temperature regime near the transition, the electroclinic coefficient is a good approximation to the generalized susceptibility of the chiral smectic system. Present indications are that this temperature regime is on the order of 20 mK in extent.