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arXiv · 1101.3565

Electrostatic topology of ferroelectric domains in YMnO$_3$

Tobias Jungk·Ákos Hoffmann·Manfred Fiebig·Elisabeth Soergel
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Abstract

Trimerization-polarization domains in ferroelectric hexagonal YMnO$_3$ were resolved in all three spatial dimensions by piezoresponse force microscopy. Their topology is dominated by electrostatic effects with a range of 100 unit cells and reflects the unusual electrostatic origin of the spontaneous polarization. The response of the domains to locally applied electric fields explains difficulties in transferring YMnO$_3$ into a single-domain state. Our results demonstrate that the wealth of non-displacive mechanisms driving ferroelectricity that emerged from the research on multiferroics are a rich source of alternative types of domains and domain-switching phenomena.

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Tobias Jungk, Ákos Hoffmann, Manfred Fiebig, Elisabeth Soergel. 2010-09-09. Electrostatic topology of ferroelectric domains in YMnO$_3$. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3460286

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