[en] Out-of-plane polar domain structures have recently been discovered in strained and twisted bilayers of inversion symmetry broken systems such as hexagonal boron nitride. Here we show that this symmetry breaking also gives rise to an in-plane component of polarization, and the form of the total polarization is determined purely from symmetry considerations. The in-plane component of the polarization makes the polar domains in strained and twisted bilayers topologically non-trivial, forming a network of merons and antimerons (half-skyrmions and half-antiskyrmions). For twisted systems, the merons are of Bloch type whereas for strained systems they are of Néel type. We propose that the polar domains in strained or twisted bilayers may serve as a platform for exploring topological physics in layered materials and discuss how control over topological phases and phase transitions may be achieved in such systems.
Research Center/Unit :
CESAM - Complex and Entangled Systems from Atoms to Materials - ULiège
Disciplines :
Physics
Author, co-author :
Bennett, Daniel ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département de physique > Physique théorique des matériaux ; Theory of Condensed Matter Group, Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, J. J. Thomson Avenue, Cambridge, CB3 0HE, UK. dbennett@seas.harvard.edu ; John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA. dbennett@seas.harvard.edu
Chaudhary, Gaurav; Theory of Condensed Matter Group, Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, J. J. Thomson Avenue, Cambridge, CB3 0HE, UK
Slager, Robert-Jan ; Theory of Condensed Matter Group, Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, J. J. Thomson Avenue, Cambridge, CB3 0HE, UK
Bousquet, Eric ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département de physique
Ghosez, Philippe ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département de physique > Physique théorique des matériaux
Language :
English
Title :
Polar meron-antimeron networks in strained and twisted bilayers.
Publication date :
24 March 2023
Journal title :
Nature Communications
eISSN :
2041-1723
Publisher :
Springer Science and Business Media LLC, England
Volume :
14
Issue :
1
Pages :
1629
Peer reviewed :
Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi
Tags :
CÉCI : Consortium des Équipements de Calcul Intensif
EPSRC - Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council ULiège - University of Liège EOS - The Excellence Of Science Program University of Cambridge
Funding number :
“ShapeME” - EOS reference number: 40007525
Funding text :
D.B. acknowledges funding from the University of Liége under special
funds for research (IPD-STEMA fellowship program) and St. John’s College,
University of Cambridge. R.-J.S. and G.C. acknowledge funding
from a New Investigator Award, EPSRC grant EP/W00187X/1. R.-J.S. also
acknowledges funding from Trinity College, University of Cambridge.
E.B. acknowledges the FNRS and the Excellence of Science program
(EOS “ShapeME”, No. 40007525) funded by the FWO and F.R.S.-FNRS.
Ph.G. acknowledges financial support from F.R.S.-FNRS Belgium (grant
PROMOSPAN) and the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and
innovation program under grant agreement number 964931 (TSAR). The
authors acknowledge the CECI supercomputer facilities funded by the
F.R.S-FNRS (Grant No. 2.5020.1) and the Tier-1 supercomputer of the
Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles funded by theWalloon Region (Grant No.
1117545).
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