Abstract
Molecular orientational structures in MHPOBC were studied by means of conoscope observation. Contrary to a ferroelectric response of the conoscope to an electric field in the smectic C* phase, the conoscopic figure in the antiferroelectric smectic CA* phase does not shift its center and is biaxial with its optic plane perpendicular to the field direction. This conoscope change is only due to a dielectric contribution, indicating the existence of the inherent threshold in the electric field induced transition to the ferroelectric phase. In between the ferroelectric and antiferroelectric phases, a kind of ferrielectric phase was clearly distinguished in the field response of the conoscopic figure; the shift of the conoscope center perpendicular to the applied field and the biaxial optic plane parallel to the field suggest a novel molecular orientational structure.