In situ strain evolution in ferroelectric domains in ErMnO3 during actuation

This proposal aims at studying the evolution of the complete strain tensor in an improper ferroelectric rare earth manganate lamella by scanning X-ray diffraction microscopy (SXDM) during the application of an electric field. SXDM provides access to the strain with a resolution of 10-5 and lattice tilt with millidegree accuracy while the spatial resolution is defined by the beam size. By measuring three independent Bragg reflections the complete strain tensor will be accessible. The consecutive measurement after different electric field pulses allows for imaging the strain evolution and domain switching close to the coercive field.