Reorientations, relaxations, metastabilities and multidomains of skyrmion lattices

Abstract

Magnetic skyrmions are nano-sized topologically protected spin textures with particle-like properties. They can form lattices perpendicular to the magnetic field and the orientation of these skyrmion lattices with respect to the crystallographic lattice is governed by spin-orbit coupling. By performing small angle neutron scattering measurements, we investigate the coupling between the crystallographic and skyrmion lattices in both Cu${}_2$OSeO${}_3$ and the archetype chiral magnet MnSi. The results reveal that the orientation of the skyrmion lattice is primarily determined by the magnetic field direction with respect to the crystallographic lattice. In addition, it is also influenced by the magnetic history of the sample which can induce metastable lattices. Kinetic measurements show that these metastable skyrmion lattices may or may not relax to their equilibrium positions under macroscopic relaxation times. Furthermore, multidomain lattices may form when two or more equivalent crystallographic directions are favored by spin-orbit coupling and oriented perpendicular to the magnetic field.

Supplementory movie 4 is not uploaded due to size restrictions but is available upon request

References in corpus (8)

• Spontaneous Skyrmion Ground States in Magnetic Metals
• A new class of chiral materials hosting magnetic skyrmions beyond room temperature
• Long wavelength helimagnetic order and skyrmion lattice phase in Cu2OSeO3
• Thermally Driven Ratchet Motion of Skyrmion Microcrystal and Topological Magnon Hall Effect
• Electric field-induced Skyrmion distortion and giant lattice rotation in the magnetoelectric insulator Cu2OSeO3
• Formation and rotation of skyrmion crystal in the chiral-lattice insulator Cu2OSeO3
• Magnetic relaxation phenomena in the Chiral Magnet Fe${}_{1-x}$Co${}_x$Si: An ac susceptibility study
• Extended skyrmion lattice scattering and long-time memory in the chiral magnet Fe${}_{1-x}$Co${}_x$Si

Cited by in corpus (11)

• Increasing the skyrmion stability in Cu${}_2$OSeO${}_3$ by chemical substitution
• Low energy magnons in the chiral ferrimagnet ${\text{Cu}}_2{\text{OSeO}}_3$: a coarse-grained approach
• Topological energy barrier for skyrmion lattice formation in MnSi
• Non-equilibrium structural phase transitions of the vortex lattice in MgB2
• Structural Transition Kinetics and Activated Behavior in the Superconducting Vortex Lattice
• Entropic signatures of the skyrmion lattice phase in MnSi1-xAlx and Fe1-yCoySi
• Anisotropy-dependent decay of room temperature metastable skyrmions and a nascent double-$q$ spin texture in Co${}_8$Zn${}_9$Mn${}_3$
• Structural studies of metastable and equilibrium vortex lattice domains in MgB2
• Effect of chemical substitution on the skyrmion phase in Cu${}_2$OSeO${}_3$
• Cubic magnetic anisotropy in $B$20 magnets: Interplay of anisotropy and magnetic order in Fe${}_{1-x}$Co${}_x$Si
• Activated vortex lattice transition in a superconductor with combined sixfold and twelvefold anisotropic interactions