Theoretical guidelines to create and tune electric skyrmion bubbles

Area of Science:

• Condensed Matter Physics
• Materials Science
• Ferroelectricity

Background:

• Topological textures like magnetic skyrmions are well-studied, but electric analogues in ferroelectrics have remained elusive.
• Existing methods for ferroelectric topological orders often require complex materials and structures, limiting their practical application.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and investigate a new approach for creating topological textures in simple ferroelectric materials.
• To explore the potential for generating electric skyrmion-like objects using domain wall structures.

Main Methods:

• Utilized second-principles simulations on columnar nanodomains in the prototype ferroelectric material PbTiO3.
• Analyzed the Bloch-type structure of domain walls to identify mechanisms for creating topological textures.

Main Results:

• Successfully demonstrated the creation of topological textures with skyrmion-defining features in simple ferroelectrics.
• Observed unusual properties including isotopological and topological transitions controllable by external fields and temperature.
• Showcased the potential for achieving very small sizes for these electric textures.

Conclusions:

• The proposed method offers an original and versatile approach to writing topological textures in ferroelectrics.
• This work inaugurates the field of topological ferroelectrics, suggesting numerous possibilities for creating and manipulating electric textures.