Effect of chemical substitution on the skyrmion phase in Cu${}_2$OSeO${}_3$

Abstract

Magnetic skyrmions have been the focus of intense research due to their unique qualities which result from their topological protections. Previous work on Cu${}_2$OSeO${}_3$, the only known insulating multiferroic skyrmion material, has shown that chemical substitution alters the skyrmion phase. We chemically substitute Zn, Ag, and S into powdered Cu${}_2$OSeO${}_3$ to study the effect on the magnetic phase diagram. In both the Ag and the S substitutions, we find that the skyrmion phase is stabilized over a larger temperature range, as determined via magnetometry and small-angle neutron scattering (SANS). Meanwhile, while previous magnetometry characterization suggests two high temperature skyrmion phases in the Zn-substituted sample, SANS reveals the high temperature phase to be skyrmionic while we are unable to distinguish the other from helical order. Overall, chemical substitution weakens helical and skyrmion order as inferred from neutron scattering of the $|$q$|\approx$ 0.01 ${\tilde{A}}^{-1}$ magnetic peak.

12 pages, 11 figures, submitted to Physical Review B