Polar meron-antimeron networks in strained and twisted bilayers.

[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 :

Issue :

Pages :

1629

Peer reviewed :

Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi

Tags :

CÉCI : Consortium des Équipements de Calcul Intensif

Additional URL :

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-37337-8.pdf

Funders :

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).

Available on ORBi :

since 27 March 2023

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