Skyrmions in ferroelectric materials

Abstract

Abstract Ferromagnetic and ferroelectric domain walls are probably the most frequently encountered structural defects formed at ferroelectric and ferromagnetic phase transitions. They resemble each other in many ways. The presence, density, mobility, spatial arrangement and local physical properties of domain walls are reflected in many macroscopic material properties of both ferroelectric and ferromagnetic substances. Both ferroelectric and ferromagnetic domain walls play an essential role in switching of the respective primary order parameter. In contrast, thermodynamically stable skyrmion lattice phases and skyrmion hosts allowing formation of isolated skyrmion vortices with a preferential skyrmionic charge have been so far reported only in ferromagnets. In the first part of this chapter, we introduce basic concepts of ferroelectric nanoscale domains. Then, we introduce a quickly growing field of theoretical and experimental explorations of nanoscale ferroelectric textures, inspired by parallel explorations of intriguing topology of ferromagnetic skyrmions.