Modified transverse Ising model for the dielectric properties of SrTiO3 films and interfaces

Abstract

The transverse Ising model (TIM), with pseudospins representing the lattice polarization, is often used as a simple description of ferroelectric materials. However, we demonstrate that the TIM, as it is usually formulated, provides an incorrect description of SrTiO3 films and interfaces because of its inadequate treatment of spatial inhomogeneity. We correct this deficiency by adding a pseudospin anisotropy to the model. We demonstrate the physical need for this term by comparison of the TIM to a typical Landau–Ginzburg–Devonshire model. We then demonstrate the physical consequences of the modification for two model systems: a ferroelectric thin film, and a metallic LaAlO3/SrTiO3 interface. We show that, in both cases, the modified TIM has a substantially different polarization profile than the conventional TIM. In particular, at low temperatures the formation of quantized states at LaAlO3/SrTiO3 interfaces only occurs in the modified TIM.