The recent discovery of ferroelectric nematics provides new opportunities for exploring polar topology in liquid matter. Here, we report numerous potential polarization topological states (e.g., polar vortex-like and line disclination mediated structures) in confined ferroelectric nematics with similar free-energy levels. In the experiment, they appear according to the confinement size and surface anchoring conditions. Based on a minimal analytical approach, we reveal that the topological transformation is balanced among the nematic elasticity, the polarization gradient, the flexoelectric and the depolarization interactions.

中文翻译：

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铁电向列相液滴拓扑：由挠曲电或去极化场驱动的情况

最近发现的铁电向列相为探索液体物质中的极性拓扑提供了新的机会。在这里，我们报告了具有相似自由能水平的受限铁电向列中的许多潜在的极化拓扑状态（例如，极涡状和线向错介导的结构）。在实验中，它们根据约束尺寸和表面锚固条件出现。基于最小的分析方法，我们揭示了拓扑变换在向列弹性、极化梯度、挠电和去极化相互作用之间达到平衡。