Motion of a planar domain wall in the ferroelectric-ferroelastic gadolinium molybdate

The lateral motion of a planar domain wall (PDW) in an electric field and the spontaneous rotation of the wall in the initial position after the field is switched off were investigated in the improper ferroelectric-ferroelastic gadolinium molybdate Gd₂(MoO₄)₃, using optical visualization and measurement of the switching currents. The characteristic behavior found for the PDW is attributed to the delay of the volume screening of the depolarizing fields. It is shown that the dependence of the motion of the PDW on the switching duration in an ac field is due to the redistribution of the screening charges. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 41, 126–129 (January 1999)