Agenda
Histórico

10 de agosto de 2026
14h00
Anfiteatro Verde (IFSC-USP)

Marcello B. da Silva Neto
Instituto de Física
Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro

Quenching of a BKT-like vortex plasma in dislocation-rich elemental Tellurium

Vortices appear throughout physics, from rotating fluids and superconductors to magnets and superfluids. Hydrodynamic vortices involve the circulation of a real flow, whereas BKT-like vortices are topological defects associated with the winding of an internal phase. In this talk, I will discuss evidence for an unusual vortex state in elemental tellurium. In crystals containing a high density of dislocations, these defects organize into a cellular, Voronoi-like structure. Using differential phase-contrast scanning transmission electron microscopy (DPC-STEM), we image nanoscale polarization textures that wind around the cells and their junctions. We propose that this dislocation network acts as a structural foam that traps, or quenches, a BKT-like plasma of polarization vortices. The resulting state provides a simple connection between crystal defects, topology and emergent electronic behavior in a chemically simple material.