New and exotic self-organized patterns for modulated nanoscale systems

ELIANA K. ASCIUTTO; CHRISTOPHER ROLAND; CELESTE SAGUI

Baltimore

Conferencia; 2006 APS March Meeting; 2006

The self-organized domain patterns of modulated systems arecharacteristic of a wide variety of chemical and physicalsystems, and are the result of competing interactions. From atechnological point of view, there is considerable interest inthese domain patterns, as they form suitable templates for thefabrication of nanostructures. We have analyzed the domains andinstabilities that form in modulated systems, and show that alarge variety of new and exotic patterns -- based on long-livedmetastable or glassy states -- may be formed as a compromisebetween the required equilibrium modulation period and the strainpresent in the system. The strain results from topologicallyconstrained trajectories in phase space, the effectively precludethe equilibrium configuration.