Electro-optic effects in blue phases

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Abstract
A theory of electro-optic and elasto-optic effects in the blue phases of cholesteric liquid crystals is developed. The case of small structure deformations and a weak field is considered: |E| ⋛ E c, where E e is the critical field for the cholesteric-nematic transition. The theory explains all of the main experimental facts: the field-induced birefringence and biaxiality, the distortion of the cubic structure (electrostriction) and the orientation of the blue phase monocrystals in an electric field.