Hidden phases with neuromorphic responses and highly enhanced piezoelectricity in an antiferroelectric prototype

An atomistic first-principles-based effective Hamiltonian is used to study the response of a prototype of antiferroelectric materials, namely, the perovskite sodium niobate system, to the application of terahertz electric pulses. So-called hidden phases are discovered due to such ultrafast field excitation. These phases are homogeneous in nature, and correspond to local minima of energy. In addition to improved piezoelectric responses, they also possess controllable magnitude of the electric polarization, leading to possible applications of antiferroelectrics for ultrafast neuromorphic computing.

Automated summary

In this study, an atomistic first-principles-based effective Hamiltonian is used to investigate the response of the perovskite sodium niobate system, a prototype of antiferroelectric materials, to terahertz electric pulses. Hidden phases are discovered as a result of ultrafast field excitation, which are homogeneous in nature and correspond to local energy minima. These phases not only exhibit improved piezoelectric responses, but also possess controllable electric polarization, suggesting potential applications for ultrafast neuromorphic computing.