title: Duality of topological defects in hexagonal manganites.
abstract: We show that the spontaneous symmetry breaking in multiferroic hexagonal manganites can be chemically manipulated to yield two complementary ground states: the well-known ferroelectric P6(3)cm and an antipolar P3c phase. Both symmetry breakings yield topologically protected vortex defects, with the antipolar vortices dual to those of the ferroelectric. This duality stems from the existence of 12 possible angles of MnO5 tilting, and broad strain-free walls with low energy spontaneously emerge through an intermediate P3c1 state, providing a complete unified symmetry description.
authors.affiliation: Rutgers Center for Emergent Materials and Department of Physics and Astronomy, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, USA.
authors.forename: Fei-Ting
authors.initials: FT
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Rutgers Center for Emergent Materials and Department of Physics and Astronomy, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, USA.
authors.forename: Xueyun
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Materials Theory, ETH Zurich, Wolfgang-Pauli-Strasse 27, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Sinead M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Griffin
authors.affiliation: Materials Theory, ETH Zurich, Wolfgang-Pauli-Strasse 27, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kumagai
authors.affiliation: Materials Theory, ETH Zurich, Wolfgang-Pauli-Strasse 27, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Oliver
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Gindele
authors.affiliation: Center for Condensed Matter Sciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei 106, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Ming-Wen
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Chu
authors.affiliation: Rutgers Center for Emergent Materials and Department of Physics and Astronomy, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, USA.
authors.forename: Yoichi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Horibe
authors.affiliation: Materials Theory, ETH Zurich, Wolfgang-Pauli-Strasse 27, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Nicola A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Spaldin
authors.affiliation: Rutgers Center for Emergent Materials and Department of Physics and Astronomy, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, USA.
authors.forename: Sang-Wook
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Cheong