Elastic-stripe formation at electronic transitions

We investigate the possibility of a striped inhomogeneous phase occurring as an electronic system with an order parameter linearly coupled to the elastic degrees of freedom is tuned through the electronic phase transition. We find that in finite systems where boundary conditions create an elastic incompatibility, a stripe pattern may emerge in the vicinity of the electronic transition. Stripes are stabilized when the gained elastic energy overcomes the typical electronic and domain-wall energy costs. In thin-film geometries, the stripes are found to extend across the entire depth of the system. We also study the behavior of the phase fraction across the spinodal region of a first-order phase transition. The orientation of stripes and the possibility of more complicated patterns are also discussed.