Dynamic control of ferroic domain patterns by thermal quenching

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Horstmann, Jan Gerrit, Hassanpour, Ehsan, Zemp, Yannik, Lottermoser, Thomas, Weber, Mads C., Fiebig, Manfred
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
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author Horstmann, Jan Gerrit
Hassanpour, Ehsan
Zemp, Yannik
Lottermoser, Thomas
Weber, Mads C.
Fiebig, Manfred
author_facet Horstmann, Jan Gerrit
Hassanpour, Ehsan
Zemp, Yannik
Lottermoser, Thomas
Weber, Mads C.
Fiebig, Manfred
contents Controlling the domain structure of ferroic materials is key to manipulating their functionality. Typically, quasi-static electric, magnetic, or strain fields are exploited to transform or pole ferroic domains. In contrast, metallurgy makes use of fast thermal quenches across phase transitions to create new functional states and domain structures. This approach employs the rapid temporal evolution of systems far from equilibrium to overcome the constraints imposed by comparably slow interactions. However, guiding the nonequilibrium evolution of domains towards otherwise inaccessible configurations remains largely unexplored in ferroics. Here, we harness thermal quenches to exert control over a ferroic domain pattern. Cooling at variable speed triggers transitions between two ferroic phases in a rare-earth orthoferrite, with transient domain evolution enabling the selection of the final domain pattern. Specifically, by tuning the quench rate, we can either generate the intrinsic domain structure of the low-temperature phase or transfer the original pattern of the high-temperature phase - creating a hidden metastable domain configuration inaccessible at thermal equilibrium. Real-time imaging during rapid quenching reveals two distinct time scales governing domain evolution: a fast fragmentation phase, followed by a slower relaxation towards a new pattern or back to the original one. This dynamic control of domain configurations, alongside external fields, strain engineering, and all-optical switching, offers a novel approach for actively manipulating ferroic order.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2412_17661
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Dynamic control of ferroic domain patterns by thermal quenching
Horstmann, Jan Gerrit
Hassanpour, Ehsan
Zemp, Yannik
Lottermoser, Thomas
Weber, Mads C.
Fiebig, Manfred
Materials Science
Controlling the domain structure of ferroic materials is key to manipulating their functionality. Typically, quasi-static electric, magnetic, or strain fields are exploited to transform or pole ferroic domains. In contrast, metallurgy makes use of fast thermal quenches across phase transitions to create new functional states and domain structures. This approach employs the rapid temporal evolution of systems far from equilibrium to overcome the constraints imposed by comparably slow interactions. However, guiding the nonequilibrium evolution of domains towards otherwise inaccessible configurations remains largely unexplored in ferroics. Here, we harness thermal quenches to exert control over a ferroic domain pattern. Cooling at variable speed triggers transitions between two ferroic phases in a rare-earth orthoferrite, with transient domain evolution enabling the selection of the final domain pattern. Specifically, by tuning the quench rate, we can either generate the intrinsic domain structure of the low-temperature phase or transfer the original pattern of the high-temperature phase - creating a hidden metastable domain configuration inaccessible at thermal equilibrium. Real-time imaging during rapid quenching reveals two distinct time scales governing domain evolution: a fast fragmentation phase, followed by a slower relaxation towards a new pattern or back to the original one. This dynamic control of domain configurations, alongside external fields, strain engineering, and all-optical switching, offers a novel approach for actively manipulating ferroic order.
title Dynamic control of ferroic domain patterns by thermal quenching
topic Materials Science
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2412.17661