Paper detail

Crystallography under external electric field

Structural response of crystals to an applied external perturbation is important as a key for understanding microscopic origin of physical properties. Experimental investigation of structural response is a great challenge for modern structure analysis. We demonstrate how advanced X-ray diffraction techniques facilitate probing tiny (10-4 Å) distortions of bond lengths under a permanent electric field. We also discuss details of the experimental procedure essential for reaching such precision. We ask whether the experiment can be used to evaluate chemical bonds in crystals by their sensitivity to an external electric field and discuss if the bond deformations can be predicted using the bond-valence model or the Bader's theory of atoms in molecules and crystals. Finally, we describe the new time-resolved studies of a structural response to a dynamical switch of applied electric field. These results give access to the time-lining of piezoelectric effect on a microsecond time scale.