Distorted triangular skyrmion lattice in a noncentrosymmetric tetragonal magnet

Abstract

Magnetic skyrmions are particle-like spin-swirling objects ubiquitously realized in magnets. They are topologically stable chiral kinks composed of multiple modulation waves of spiral spin structures, where the helicity of each spiral is usually selected by antisymmetric exchange interactions in noncentrosymmetric crystals. We report an experimental observation of a distorted triangular lattice of skyrmions in the polar tetragonal magnet EuNiGe${}_3$, reflecting a strong coupling with the lattice. Moreover, through resonant x-ray diffraction, we find that the magnetic helicity of the original spiral at zero field is reversed when the skyrmion lattice is formed in a magnetic field. This means that the energy gain provided by the skyrmion lattice formation is larger than the antisymmetric exchange interaction. Our findings will lead us to a further understanding of emergent magnetic states.

9 pages, 3 figures, supplemental material (6 pages, 12 figures)

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Cited by in corpus (7)

• Stabilization mechanisms of magnetic skyrmion crystal and multiple-$Q$ states based on momentum-resolved spin interactions
• Incommensurate broken helix induced by nonstoichiometry in the axion insulator candidate EuIn${}_2$As${}_2$
• Emergent Anomalous Hall Effect in the Eu-Based Compound with a Diamond Network: The Centrosymmetric Cubic Antiferromagnet EuTi${}_2$Al${}_{20}$
• Conical Magnetic Structure and Atomic Displacements in Chiral Helimagnet Yb(Ni,Cu)${}_3$Al${}_9$ in Magnetic Fields along the Helical $c$ Axis
• Double-$Q$ and quadruple-$Q$ instabilities at low-symmetric ordering wave vectors under tetragonal symmetry
• Field-tunable quadruple-$Q$ states driven by momentum-space frustration
• Magnetic Order of Dresselhaus-type Antiferromagnet EuIr${}_4$In${}_2$Ge${}_4$ Studied by Single Crystal Neutron Diffraction