Fast control of the reflection of a ferroelectric by an extremely short pulse

TL;DR

This paper introduces a rapid optical switch utilizing a ferroelectric's polarization-dependent wave propagation gap, enabling ultrafast control of transparency with potential applications in high-speed photonics.

Contribution

It presents a novel ferroelectric-based optical switch that can be controlled by extremely short pulses, achieving faster switching than the material's relaxation time.

Findings

The wave propagation gap in ferroelectrics depends on polarization.

A control pulse can shift the gap, making the material transparent.

The switching speed surpasses the ferroelectric relaxation time (1 ns).

Abstract

We propose a new type of optical switch based on a ferroelectric. It is based on the gap which exists for waves propagating from a dielectric to a ferroelectric material. This gap depends on the polarization of the ferroelectric. We show that it can be shifted by a control electromagnetic pulse so that the material becomes transparent. This device would shift much faster than the relaxation time of the ferroelectric (1 nano s). Estimates are given for a real material.