Elena Martina Unterleutner
Current Organizations / Institutes
The organizations/institutes from the scholar's latest article
Elena Martina Unterleutner has a total of 25 co-authors. Here are the top co-authors by number of shared publications:
- Andreas Scherz
European XFEL
1 shared publication Cammille Carinan
European XFEL, Schenefeld, Germany
1 shared publicationDaniel Knez
Institute of Electron Microscopy and Nanoanalysis (FELMI), Graz University of Technology, Graz, Austria
1 shared publication- David Pesquera
Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology
1 shared publication - Gerard N. Hinsley
Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestr. 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
1 shared publication Giacomo Merzoni
European XFEL, Schenefeld, Germany
1 shared publication
Latest Publications
- Open Access
- 26 August 2025
- Published by Springer Nature in Nature Communications
- Vol. 16 (1) , 1-10
Ultrafast decoupling of polarization and strain in ferroelectric BaTiO3
A fundamental understanding of the interplay between lattice structure, polarization and electrons is pivotal to the optical control of ferroelectrics. The interaction between light and matter enables the remote and wireless control of the ferroelectric polarization on the picosecond timescale, while inducing strain, i.e., lattice deformation. At equilibrium, the ferroelectric polarization is proportional to the strain, and is typically assumed to be so also out of equilibrium. Decoupling the polarization from the strain would remove the constraint of sample design and provide an effective knob to manipulate the polarization by light. Here, upon above-bandgap laser excitation of the prototypical ferroelectric BaTiO3, we induce and measure an ultrafast decoupling between polarization and strain that begins within 350 fs, by softening Ti-O bonds via charge transfer, and lasts for several tens of picoseconds. We show that the ferroelectric polarization out of equilibrium is mainly determined by photoexcited electrons, instead of the strain.
- 26 August 2025
- Published by Springer Nature in Nature Communications
- Vol. 16 (1) , 1-10
Open AccessUltrafast decoupling of polarization and strain in ferroelectric BaTiO3
A fundamental understanding of the interplay between lattice structure, polarization and electrons is pivotal to the optical control of ferroelectrics. The interaction between light and matter enables the remote and wireless control of the ferroelectric polarization on the picosecond timescale, while inducing strain, i.e., lattice deformation. At equilibrium, the ferroelectric polarization is proportional to the strain, and is typically assumed to be so also out of equilibrium. Decoupling the polarization from the strain would remove the constraint of sample design and provide an effective knob to manipulate the polarization by light. Here, upon above-bandgap laser excitation of the prototypical ferroelectric BaTiO3, we induce and measure an ultrafast decoupling between polarization and strain that begins within 350 fs, by softening Ti-O bonds via charge transfer, and lasts for several tens of picoseconds. We show that the ferroelectric polarization out of equilibrium is mainly determined by photoexcited electrons, instead of the strain.