Static and Dynamic Control of Ferroelectric Topologies
Complex topological configurations are fertile ground for exploring emergent phenomena and exotic phases in condensed-matter physics. Topological solitons such as magnetic skyrmions have long drawn attention as stable quasi-particle-like objects, but the recent discovery of polar vortices and skyrmions in ferroelectric oxide superlattices has opened the door for new length scales and electric-field manipulation. Functional phenomena can be distinct from those of normal ferroelectrics, with properties such as collective dynamics, chirality, and negative capacitance. Topologically nontrivial ferroelectric textures are uniquely possible and manipulable by careful control of thin film boundary conditions, which can be controlled statically, during deposition, or dynamically, with light or electric fields. In this talk, I will show how these polar textures can be stabilized and tuned, directly through strain and electrostatics, allowing access to a wide range of topological phases with unique properties.
Dr. Peter Meisenheimer received his Bachelors in Materials Science from the Univ. of Washington in 2016, and his PhD from the Univ. of Michigan in 2021. During his PhD, his research focused on manipulating interfacial coupling in thin films to understand spin textures in entropy-stabilized oxides and magnetic layers with high magnetostriction. He was awarded the American Ceramic Society Graduate Excellence award in 2018 and the Materials Research Society Silver Award in 2019. He joined the Ramesh lab in June 2021 to work with topological ferroelectric textures- creating and studying new ferroelectric phases that are enabled by the thin film superlattice geometry.