Collective coherent control: synchronization of polarization in ferroelectric PbTiO3 by shaped THz fields

Abstract

We show that properly shaped terahertz (THz) fields can be used to move ions in ferroelectric crystals from their positions in an initial domain orientation along well-defined collective microscopic paths into the positions they occupy in a new domain orientation. Collective coherent control will enable direct observation of fast highly nonlinear material responses and far-from-equilibrium structures that can be harnessed in electro-optic devices and nonvolatile computer memory.