ar X iv : c on d - m at / 9 50 50 39 v 1 9 M ay 1 99 5 Influence

The electric field applied perpendicularly to smectic layers breaks the rotational symmetry of the system. Consequently, the elastic energy associated with distortions induced by an edge dislocation diverges logarithmically with the size of the system. In freely suspended smectic films the dislocations in the absence of the electric field are located exactly in the middle of the film. The electric field, E, above a certain critical value, Ec, can shift them towards the surface. This critical field (in Gauss cgs units) is given by the following approximate formula Ec = √