In this study, authors explore how the triangular arrangement of uniaxial electric dipoles in EuAl12O19 leads to a highly degenerate ground state, preventing long-range antiferroelectric order despite the presence of short-range antipolar correlations. This phenomenon mirrors the frustration observed in classical spin liquids, where competing interactions inhibit conventional magnetic ordering.
The findings reveal that the dynamics of this frustrated antipolar phase are governed by a thermally activated process, exhibiting a slowdown as the system cools, ultimately leading to a complete freezing at zero temperature. This behavior provides a deeper understanding of frustration in electric dipole systems and opens avenues for further research into analogous phenomena in other materials.