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- Title
Periodically modulated skyrmion strings in Cu<sub>2</sub>OSeO<sub>3</sub>.
- Authors
Burn, D. M.; Brearton, R.; Ran, K. J.; Zhang, S. L.; van der Laan, G.; Hesjedal, T.
- Abstract
Magnetic skyrmions are vortex-like spin textures, which are usually treated as two-dimensional objects. In their lattice state, they form well-ordered, hexagonal structures, which have been studied in great detail. To obtain a three-dimensional (3D) skyrmion crystal, these planes can be envisaged to be stacked up forming skyrmion strings in the third dimension. Here, we report the observation of a 3D skyrmion phase in Cu2OSeO3 by carrying out reciprocal space mapping in resonant elastic x-ray scattering. We observe regions in the magnetic field-cooling phase diagram in which the skyrmion phase apparently coexists with the conical phase. However, such a coexistence is forbidden due to symmetry arguments. Instead, the skyrmion strings themselves are periodically modulated along their axes, as confirmed by micromagnetic simulations. The periodic modulation is in fact a necessary consequence of the evolution of the skyrmion phase out of the conical state and should therefore be a universal property of skyrmion strings in chiral helimagnets.
- Subjects
SKYRMIONS; X-ray scattering; PHASE diagrams; MICROMAGNETICS; HEXAGONAL crystal system
- Publication
NPJ Quantum Materials, 2021, Vol 6, Issue 1, p1
- ISSN
2397-4648
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1038/s41535-021-00373-y