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.

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References in corpus (23)

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Cited by in corpus (21)

• Electric field-driven topological phase switching and skyrmion lattice metastability in magnetoelectric Cu${}_2$OSeO${}_3$
• Magnetization and ac susceptibility study of the cubic chiral magnet Mn${}_{1-x}$Fe${}_x$Si
• Response of the skyrmion lattice in MnSi to cubic magnetocrystalline anisotropies
• Evolution of magneto-crystalline anisotropies in Mn${}_{1-x}$Fe${}_x$Si and Mn${}_{1-x}$Co${}_x$Si as inferred from small-angle neutron scattering and bulk properties
• Skyrmions and spirals in MnSi under hydrostatic pressure
• Evolution of helimagnetic correlations in Mn${}_{1-x}$Fe${}_x$Si with doping: a small-angle neutron scattering study
• Ferromagnetic resonance with magnetic phase selectivity by means of resonant elastic x-ray scattering on a chiral magnet
• Anisotropic magneto-crystalline coupling of the skyrmion lattice in MnSi
• Precipitating Ordered Skyrmion Lattices from Helical Spaghetti
• 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
• Unpinning the skyrmion lattice in MnSi:Effect of substitutional disorder
• 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
• Structural studies of metastable and equilibrium vortex lattice domains in MgB2
• Anisotropy-dependent decay of room temperature metastable skyrmions and a nascent double-$q$ spin texture in Co${}_8$Zn${}_9$Mn${}_3$
• 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