Never-before-seen woven structure that forms naturally inside a crystal discovered
For the first time, scientists have observed a three-dimensional woven structure forming naturally inside a crystal, revealing a previously unknown way in which matter can organize itself.
Scientists have made a groundbreaking discovery by observing a three-dimensional woven structure naturally forming inside a crystal for the first time. This intricate network, resembling woven fabric, emerges spontaneously in a ferroelectric crystal as it cools through a phase transition. Unlike traditional ferroelectric crystals, whose domains consist of aligned electric dipoles, this material demonstrates a unique organization where dipoles spontaneously weave over and under each other, creating a complex three-dimensional network.
The research team, led by professors Eugenio Del Re, Feifei Xin, and Aharon J. Agranat from Sapienza University of Rome, Nankai University, and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, respectively, utilized advanced imaging techniques to study this phenomenon. They discovered that the woven structure can be manipulated using a focused green laser, which locally untangles the pattern without affecting the rest of the crystal.
Additionally, heating and cooling the crystal restores the woven structure with a new pattern. This discovery, reported in Light: Science & Applications, suggests that similar topological structures may exist in various other physical systems, indicating that our understanding of matter's organization could be limited by current theories.
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