9310656 Kimball A study of the dynamics of valence and structural behavior in ferroelectric materials and their analogues will be explored by a combination of Mossbauer spectroscopy and synchrotron radiation. The efficacy of combining high resolution X-ray Absorption Near Edge Spectroscopy and Mossbauer effect measurements to clarify valence fluctuation behavior will be examined. Polarized Mossbauer radiation sources will be used in the laboratory to delineate anisotropic interactions near ferroelectric phase transitions. Synchrotron-based Mossbauer measurements in the time-domain will be made to study non-equilibrium behavior such as photon induced states in ferroelectric materials. %%% The proposed research program is of an exploratory nature and may have an important impact in providing new insights for the understanding of ferroelectric materials and ferroelectric behavior. The study of polarization phenomena is relevant to a number of critical problems in ferroelectric thin films for non- volatile memory applications. The dynamics of valence and structural behavior in these materials and their analogues will be explored by a combination of Mossbauer spectroscopy and synchrotron radiation. Polarized Mossbauer radiation sources will be used in the laboratory to delineate anisotropic interactions near ferroelectric phase transitions. Synchrotron-based Mossbauer measurements in the time-domain will be made to study non- equilibrium behavior caused by radiation-induced states. ***
