Quantum paraelectricitySee is a type of incipient

ferroelectricity Ferroelectricity is a characteristic of certain materials that have a spontaneous electric polarization that can be reversed by the application of an external electric field. All ferroelectrics are also piezoelectric and pyroelectric, with the add ...

where the onset of ferroelectric order is suppressed by quantum fluctuations.See From the soft mode theory of ferroelectricity,See this occurs when a ferroelectric instability is stabilized by

quantum fluctuations In quantum physics, a quantum fluctuation (also known as a vacuum state fluctuation or vacuum fluctuation) is the temporary random change in the amount of energy in a point in space, as prescribed by Werner Heisenberg's uncertainty principle. ...

. In this case the soft-mode frequency never becomes unstable (Fig. 1a) as opposed to a regular ferroelectric. Quantumparaelectricity signatures

Experimentally this is associated with an anomalous behaviour of the dielectric susceptibility, for example in SrTiO₃.See In a normal ferroelectric, close to the onset of the phase transition the dielectric susceptibility diverges as the temperature approaches the

Curie temperature In physics and materials science, the Curie temperature (''T''C), or Curie point, is the temperature above which certain materials lose their permanent magnetic properties, which can (in most cases) be replaced by induced magnetism. The Cur ...

. However, in the case of a quantum paraelectric the dielectric susceptibility diverges until it reaches a temperature low enough for quantum effects to cancel out the ferroelectricity (Fig. 1b). In the case of SrTiO₃ this is around 4K. Other known quantum paraelectrics are KTaO₃ and potentially CaTiO₃.See

References

{{Reflist Electric and magnetic fields in matter