Print Email Facebook Twitter Multiple low-temperature skyrmionic states in a bulk chiral magnet Title Multiple low-temperature skyrmionic states in a bulk chiral magnet Author Bannenberg, L.J. (TU Delft RST/Neutron and Positron Methods in Materials) Wilhelm, Heribert (Diamond Light Source) Cubitt, Robert (Institut Laue-Langevin) Labh, A. (TU Delft RST/Neutron and Positron Methods in Materials) Schmidt, Marcus P. (Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids) Lelievre-Berna, Eddy (Institut Laue-Langevin) Pappas, C. (TU Delft RST/Neutron and Positron Methods in Materials) Mostovoy, Maxim (Rijksuniversiteit Groningen) Leonov, Andrey O. (Hiroshima University) Date 2019 Abstract Magnetic skyrmions are topologically protected nanoscale spin textures with particle-like properties. In bulk cubic helimagnets, they appear under applied magnetic fields and condense spontaneously into a lattice in a narrow region of the phase diagram just below the magnetic ordering temperature, the so-called A-phase. Theory, however, predicts skyrmions to be locally stable in a wide range of magnetic fields and temperatures. Our neutron diffraction measurements reveal the formation of skyrmion states in large areas of the magnetic phase diagram, from the lowest temperatures up to the A-phase. We show that nascent and disappearing spiral states near critical lines catalyze topological charge changing processes, leading to the formation and destruction of skyrmionic states at low temperatures, which are thermodynamically stable or metastable depending on the orientation and strength of the magnetic field. Skyrmions are surprisingly resilient to high magnetic fields: the memory of skyrmion lattice states persists in the field polarized state, even when the skyrmion lattice signal has disappeared. These findings highlight the paramount role of magnetic anisotropies in stabilizing skyrmionic states and open up new routes for manipulating these quasi-particles towards energy-efficient spintronics applications. To reference this document use: http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:b2338aca-c5a1-475f-9b00-fdc82cd5c3fb DOI https://doi.org/10.1038/s41535-019-0150-7 ISSN 2056-6387 Source NPJ Quantum Information, 4 (1), 1-8 Part of collection Institutional Repository Document type journal article Rights © 2019 L.J. Bannenberg, Heribert Wilhelm, Robert Cubitt, A. Labh, Marcus P. Schmidt, Eddy Lelievre-Berna, C. Pappas, Maxim Mostovoy, Andrey O. Leonov Files PDF s41535_019_0150_7.pdf 2.24 MB Close viewer /islandora/object/uuid:b2338aca-c5a1-475f-9b00-fdc82cd5c3fb/datastream/OBJ/view