Inhwan Kim, The University of Texas at Austin

"First-principles study of Pockels effect in barium titanate"

Abstract: As integrated silicon photonics experiences a revolution, one of the key tasks is the development of compact high-performance optical modulators using the linear electro-optic effect. The linear electro-optic effect, commonly referred to as the Pockels effect, is observed in ferroelectric crystals lacking inversion symmetry and is explained as the change of refractive index. Barium titanate (BTO) exhibits a large Pockels coefficient and already have been integrated into silicon photonics applications. However, the origin of the electro-optic response has not been investigated in detail. In this talk, I will show a first-principles investigation to explore the underlying causes of the Pockels effect in ferroelectric oxide, specifically BTO, and elucidate the microscopic origins of it.