Phys.org  May 10, 2022 Ferroelectric materials exhibit ferroelectricity and the ability to polarize spontaneously. Typically, researchers can manipulate and reverse the polarization by the application of an external electric field. Ultrafast interactions between light and matter are another promising route for controlling ferroelectric polarization, but until now researchers have struggled to achieve a light-induced, deterministic control of such polarization. An international team of researchers (USA – University of Arkansas, France, Luxembourg) discovered a so-called “squeezing effect” in ferroelectric materials subject to femtosecond laser pulses. These pulses destroyed the polarization component that is parallel to the field’s direction and created polarization […]