Electric analog of magnons in order-disorder ferroelectrics

We analyze the "ferron" excitations in order-disorder ferroelectrics by a microscopic pseudospin model. We demonstrate that analogous to magnons, the quanta of spin waves in magnetic materials, ferrons carry both static and oscillating electric dipole moments, exhibit a Stark effect, and may be parametrically excited by THz radiation. The anticrossing gap of the ferron-photon hybrid depends strongly on propagation direction and an applied static electric field. We predict ferron diffusion lengths that can reach centimeters, which implies efficient transport of electric polarization by temperature gradients. These properties suggest that ferroelectric materials may be useful for information technology beyond data storage applications.