paper

Replica symmetry breaking in the RKKY skyrmion crystal system

arXiv:2108.11585 · doi:10.1103/PhysRevB.104.184432

Abstract

We study the RKKY Heisenberg model on a three-dimensional stacked-triangular lattice under magnetic fields by extensive Monte Carlo simulations to get insight into the chiral-degenerate symmetric skyrmion crystal (SkX) in centrosymmetric metallic magnets. The triple- SkX state and the double- states are realized, together with the single- state. We find an unexpected phenomenon of the replica-symmetry breaking (RSB) well-known in glassy systems, although the Hamiltonian and the ordered state are entirely regular. In the RSB SkX phase, the triple- SkX state macroscopically coexists with the single- state, in spite of the fact that these ordered states cannot be transformed via any Hamiltonian-symmetry operation. In the thermodynamic limit, the free energies of these states are degenerate whereas the free-energy barrier between the states diverges, breaking the ergodicity. A similar RSB is observed also in the RSB double- phase where the double- state macroscopically coexists with the single- state. Experimental implications are discussed.

19 pages, 22 figures

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