Spontaneous polarization in tilted smectics

The rapid electro-optic response of ferroelectric liquid crystals (FLCs)-spontaneously polar phases-makes them candidates for the next generation of liquid crystal displays and a considerable effort has been underway to establish design rules for synthesizing more responsive materials. Herein we describe the key features of a simple theory [D. J. Photinos and E. T. Samulski, Science, 270, 783 (1995)] which suggests that polarity is indigenous to tilted smectics and not a consequence of mesogen electrostatic attributes, e.g, dipole moment and/or molecular chirality. We suggest classes of prototypical FLCs and NMR experiments which could critically test the theory.