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arXiv · 2510.17573

Chiral soft mode transition driven by strain in ferroelectric bubble domains

Urmimala Dey·Natalya S. Fedorova·Jorge Íñiguez-González·Hugo Aramberri
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Abstract

Chirality in solids is attracting growing attention as a potential ferroic order, yet virtually no paradigmatic example of a soft-mode achiral-to-chiral phase transition has been firmly established to date. Here we identify ferroelectric bubble domains as a model system that undergoes a strain-driven achiral-to-chiral transition exhibiting the hallmarks of spontaneous symmetry breaking. Using second-principles atomistic simulations, we uncover chiral phonon modes in ferroelectric/dielectric superlattices that soften under epitaxial strain following textbook soft-mode behaviour. The transition is accompanied by a change in topological character, highlighting an interplay between chirality and topology in these systems. This work provides a concrete step towards establishing chirality as a genuine ferroic order in solids.

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Urmimala Dey, Natalya S. Fedorova, Jorge Íñiguez-González, Hugo Aramberri. 2025-10-20. Chiral soft mode transition driven by strain in ferroelectric bubble domains. https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.17573

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