ÖPG-CMD Joint Meeting 2026

Topological order parameter switching

Sep 21, 2026, 11:45 AM

15m

HS 15.11 (University of Graz)

3) Contributed talk M28 - Ultrafast and Topological Mechanisms of Ferroic Switching Mini-Colloquium

Speaker

Sergey Artyukhin (Quantum Materials Theory, Genova, Italy)

Description

Ferroic orders are widely used to encode information in data storage devices and may provide a beneficial way to circumvent Boltzmann tyranny affecting conventional MOSFET memory [1]. However, information writing involves order parameter switching, facilitated by domain nucleation and motion of domain walls across a disordered material, which leads to energy dissipation. Recently, an alternative order parameter switching paradigm has been introduced, where the ordered state tracking the free energy minimum continuously rotates the order parameter direction as the free energy surface is deformed by an external driving [2]. The process is analogous to Thouless pumping and is topologically protected. A related mechanism allows pumping of topological spin textures in space [3].

[1] S. Manipatruni, D. E. Nikonov, I. A. Young, Nature Physics 14, 338 (2018)
[2] L. Ponet et al., Nature 607, 81-85 (2022)
[3] L. Maranzana et al., arXiv:2502.13083