We have measured the electric-field dependence of the reflectivity of the blue phase III (BP III) of cholesteric liquid crystals when the dielectric anisotropy e a < 0. We propose a model which assumes that the boundary aligns the sample to a depth L and in which L is increased by the applied field. The free energy is proportional to E" y where n depends on the structure of BP III. The data are fitted well by a Lorentzian line shape, and the peak intensity and linewidth agree well with the theory for n =2.1. This value is consistent with the double-twist model of BP III, but not with cubic and quasicrystal models, since the energies of these latter structures depend on higher powers of E.
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