Macroscopic polarization from nonlinear gradient couplings

Abstract: We show that a lattice mode of arbitrary symmetry induces a well-defined macroscopic polarization at first order in the momentum and second order in the amplitude. We identify a symmetric flexoelectric-like contribution, which is sensitive to both the electrical and mechanical boundary conditions, and an antisymmetric Dzialoshinskii-Moriya-like term, which is unaffected by either. We develop the first-principles methodology to compute the relevant coupling tensors in an arbitrary crystal, which we illustrate with the example of the antiferrodistortive order parameter in SrTiO$_3$.