We show that a ferro-electric quantum phase transition can be driven by the
dipolar interaction of polar molecules in the presence a micro-wave field. The
obtained ferro-electricity crucially depends on the harmonic confinement
potential, and the resulting dipole moment persists even when the external
field is turned off adiabatically. The transition is shown to be second order
for fermions and for bosons of a smaller permanent dipole moment, but is first
order for bosons of a larger moment. Our results suggest the possibility of
manipulating the microscopic rotational state of polar molecules by tuning the
trap's aspect ratio (and other mesoscopic parameters), even though the later's
energy scale is smaller than the former's by six orders of magnitude.Comment: 4 pages and 4 figure