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The critical size limit of voltage-switchable electric dipoles has extensive implications for energy-efficient electronics, underlying the importance of ferroelectric order stabilized at reduced dimensionality. We report on the thickness-dependent antiferroelectric-to-ferroelectric phase transition in zirconium dioxide (ZrO2) thin films on silicon. The emergent ferroelectricity and hysteretic polarization switching in ultrathin ZrO2, conventionally a paraelectric material, notably persists down to a film thickness of 5 angstroms, the fluorite-structure unit-cell size. This approach to exploit three-dimensional centrosymmetric materials deposited down to the two-dimensional thickness limit, particularly within this model fluorite-structure system that possesses unconventional ferroelectric size effects, offers substantial promise for electronics, demonstrated by proof-of-principle atomic-scale nonvolatile ferroelectric memory on silicon. Additionally, it is also indicative of hidden electronic phenomena that are achievable across a wide class of simple binary materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on Electric-field control of spin dynamics during magnetic phase transitions. It mentions an approach to manipulate the damping by using the large damping enhancement induced by the two-magnon scattering and a nonlocal spin relaxation process in which spin currents are resonantly transported from antiferromagnetic domains to ferromagnetic matrix in a mixed-phased metallic alloy FeRh.

The article focuses on different physical phenomena to enable a highly efficient excitation nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers such as magnetoelastic drive of ferromagnetic resonance and NV-magnon coupling. It mentions combination of acoustics and magnonics that enables highly energy-efficient and local excitation of NV centers without need for any external radio frequency (RF) excitation. It also mentions superconducting quantum interference devices and spin-exchange relaxation-free magnetometers.