title: Fractal dimension and size scaling of domains in thin films of multiferroic BiFeO3.
abstract: Domains in ferroelectric films are usually smooth, stripelike, very thin compared with magnetic ones, and satisfy the Landau-Lifshitz-Kittel scaling law (width proportional to square root of film thickness). However, the ferroelectric domains in very thin films of multiferroic BiFeO3 have irregular domain walls characterized by a roughness exponent 0.5-0.6 and in-plane fractal Hausdorff dimension H||=1.4+/-0.1, and the domain size scales with an exponent 0.59+/-0.08 rather than 1/2. The domains are significantly larger than those of other ferroelectrics of the same thickness, and closer in size to those of magnetic materials, which is consistent with a strong magnetoelectric coupling at the walls. A general model is proposed for ferroelectrics, ferroelastics or ferromagnetic domains which relates the fractal dimension of the walls to domain size scaling.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Ferroics, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EQ, United Kingdom. gcat05@esc.cam.ac.uk
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Catalan
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Béa
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fusil
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bibes
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Paruch
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Barthélémy
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Scott