Unfolding of vortices into topological stripes in a multiferroic material

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that shear strain can control vortex lines in multiferroic hexagonal RMnO3 crystals, unfolding them into stripe domains, with implications for manipulating topological defects in functional materials.

Contribution

It introduces a novel method of using shear strain to control and unfold vortex lines into stripe domains in multiferroic materials, linking mechanical and topological control.

Findings

Shear strain induces a Magnus-type force on vortices.

Vortices are unfolded into stripe domain states.

Analogy with vortex dynamics in superconductors.

Abstract

Multiferroic hexagonal RMnO3 (R=rare earths) crystals exhibit dense networks of vortex lines at which six domain walls merge. While the domain walls can be readily moved with an applied electric field, the vortex cores were so far impossible to control. Our experiments demonstrate that shear strain induces a Magnus-type force pulling vortices and antivortices in opposite directions and unfolding them into a topological stripe domain state. We discuss the analogy between this effect and the current-driven dynamics of vortices in superconductors and superfluids.