Anomalies of a meniscus of microinclusions in freely suspended smectic films

It has been shown that a meniscus of microinclusions in freely suspended smectic films can be significantly different from a meniscus near a flat surface. Measurements have been performed in smectic $A$ films into which glycerol drops have been dispersed. The formation of the meniscus near a glycerol drop is accompanied by an increase in the size of the meniscus and by an increase in the corresponding material flow to the central part of the meniscus with the parallel dissolution of glycerol in the film. Structural instability associated with different curvatures of the surfaces of the meniscus of microinclusions, together with hydrodynamic instability associated with the motion of the material, can result in the transformation of particles with the meniscus to other structures.