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We demonstrate that purely electric antiskyrmions can exist in a ferroelectric material. Our simulations predict that nanodomains in barium titanate have a diameter of 2–3 nm, a hexagonal cross-section with six polarization vortices on their circumference, and an exotic topological charge with double the magnitude and opposite sign compared to standard skyrmions. Discovery of electric antiskyrmions has significantly extended the spectrum of the known ferroic topological defects.
Description
Relaxed antiskyrmion nanodomain in BaTiO3. (a) Polarization map of the antiskyrmion obtained by relaxation of a topologically trivial bubble nanodomain with the hexagonal section. In-plane polarization components are represented by arrows and out of plane components are indicated by color. (b) Sketch of the polarization pattern. The orange and turquoise arrows represent the nanodomain and the matrix. Curved arrows indicate the six vortices of in-plane polarization.
Contact person: Jiří Hlinka, Department of Dielectrics