@misc{10481/107233,
year = {2025},
month = {10},
url = {https://hdl.handle.net/10481/107233},
abstract = {Phases manifesting topological patterns in functional systems, like ferroelectric and ferromagnetic vortex superlattices, can manifest intricate and apparently ungovernable behavior, typical of frustrated nonergodic states with high-dimensional energy landscapes. This is also the case for potassium-tantalate-niobate (KTN) crystals. These transparent ferroelectrics manifest remarkable but little understood metastable domain patterns at optical (micrometer and above) scales near the cubic-to-tetragonal structural phase transition. Here, we formulate the topological breakdown model based on the competition between intrinsic scales of domain-domain collinear and noncollinear interactions associated with polarization-charge screening. The model is able to explain observed KTN mesoscopic domain patterns and phase diagram as a function of temperature and external electric field. Findings include a precise set of sharp and broad percolative transitions that are experimentally verified, validating our model. Our study identifies the central role played by competing topologically protected states, identifying a fundamental link between topological protection and frustration that supports a hitherto unexplored functional nonergodic arena.},
organization = {PNRR MUR (PE0000023-NQSTI)},
organization = {PRIN 2022 MUR (20223T577Z)},
organization = {MICIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 y European Regional Development Funds (PID2023-149174NB-I00, PID2020-113681GB-I00)},
organization = {Ministry of Science, Technology and Space (IL) (Grant 4698)},
publisher = {American Physical Society},
title = {Topological protection breakdown: A route to frustrated ferroelectricity},
doi = {10.1103/h6j7-cgwz},
author = {Falsi, Ludovica and Villegas Góngora, Pablo and Gili, Tommaso and Agranat, A. J. and DelRe, Eugenio},
}