This article is cited in 10 papers

ORAL ISSUE OF THE JOURNAL "USPEKHI FIZICHESKIKH NAUK"

Theoretical studies of the ferroelectric transition

E. G. Maksimov

P. N. Lebedev Physical Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences

Abstract: The theoretical understanding of the nature of the ferroelectric transition in perovskite crystals is historically reviewed. Ginzburg's phenomenological theory is discussed, including the idea of the soft phonon mode as a reason for the ferroelectric transition. The role of the dipole-dipole interaction in softening the optical phonon mode is discussed within the lattice dynamics framework. Experimental data and theoretical results are presented which show that the ferroelectric transition in perovskite crystals is a soft-mode-driven displacement transition.

PACS: 63.20.dk, 77.80.-e, 77.84.-s

Received: February 10, 2009

DOI: 10.3367/UFNr.0179.200906g.0639

 English version: Physics–Uspekhi, 2009, 52:6, 603–614

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