Formation of the nanodomain structures after pulse laser heating in lithium tantalate: experiment and computer simulation

ABSTRACTFormation of the micro- and nanodomain structures in congruent lithium tantalate single crystal under the action of pyroelectric field induced by pulse infrared laser irradiation at elevated temperatures was investigated. Three types of the self-organized domain structures were obtained: (1) the self-similar domain structure formed in crystal regions heated below Curie temperature, (2) the maze-type domain structure, and (3) irregular-shaped isolated domains formed in the regions heated above Curie temperature. The results of calculation of the time dependent spatial distribution of the temperature and pyroelectric field have been used for explanation of the peculiarities of domain structure formation.