Undulations in a confined lamellar system with surface anchoring.

We visualize undulations in layered systems using a cholesteric stripe phase with a macroscopic supramicron periodicity. The wave vector of stripe pattern is in the cell's plane. The undulation is induced by an in-plane magnetic field normal to the stripes. The observed displacement of layers is much larger than the value predicted by the Helfrich-Hurault classic theory. We propose a model of undulations that explains the data by finite surface anchoring of layers.