Quantized topological charges of ferroelectric skyrmions in two-dimensional multiferroic materials

Abstract

In multiferroic materials, the microscopic magnetic and electric textures are strongly correlated with each other by magnetoelectric (ME) coupling. Therefore, topological electric dipole textures, such as ferroelectric (FE) dipole skyrmions and periodic FE dipole crystals, are expected to be induced if ferromagnetic (FM) skyrmions and FM skyrmionic crystals (or lattices so as to be abbreviated as SLs for convenience) can be stabilized. In the present work, a quantum computational approach is utilized to simulate the topological textures of FE SLs in a two-dimensional (2D) multiferroic system. Consequently, we find that, FE SLs can indeed be induced once the FM SLs are formed; each FE skyrmion is an ferroelectric dipolar complex formed around an FM skyrmion; the topological charges of these FE skyrmions are usually quantized to be integers, half integers and multiples of certain fractional values, so that the FE SL coincides precisely with the corresponding FM SL; the topological charge density of each FE SL also forms periodic pattern; and a normally applied electric field is able to change the sizes of FM skyrmions, elevate their formation temperatures, and destroy FM SLs below the critical temperatures.