Smectic free-standing films under fast lateral compression

Abstract

Smectic freely-suspended films can wrinkle like solid sheets. This has been demonstrated earlier with shape-fluctuating smectic bubbles. Here, we exploit the collapse of smectic catenoid films with a central equatorial film to expose the latter to rapid lateral compression. Wrinkle formation is observed in the planar film and the thickness dependence of the undulation wavelength is measured. In addition to the central film, its border undergoes an undulation instability as well.