Sirota, E. B.Pershan, PeterAmador, SuzanneSorensen, L. B.2013-03-011987Sirota, E. B., Peter S. Pershan, Suzanne Amador, and L. B. Sorensen. 1987. Synchrotron x-ray observation of surface smectic-I hexatic layers on smectic-C liquid-crystal films. Physical Review A 35(5): 2283-2287.1050-29471094-1622http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:10357475Synchrotron x-ray diffraction methods employing a position-sensitive detector were used to study smectic-C (SmC) and smectic-I (SmI) phases in thin (2–6 molecular layers) liquid-crystal films of 4-(n-heptyloxy)benzylidene-4-(n-heptyl)aniline (7O.7). Above \(\sim 78^{\circ}C\), the entire film is SmC and below \(\sim 69^{\circ}C\), the entire film is SmI, a stacked tilted hexatic. Between \(69^{\circ}C and 78^{\circ}C\), the surface layers of the films are hexatic SmI and the interior layers are SmC. There is a pretransitional broadening of the surface hexatic peaks as the surface layers melt into the SmC phase.en-USJournal Article2013-03-0110.1103/PhysRevA.35.2283