Dresden 2011 – scientific programme

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MA: Fachverband Magnetismus

MA 46: Magnetic Thin Films II

MA 46.8: Talk

Wednesday, March 16, 2011, 18:45–19:00, CHE 184

Sabilization of Skyrmion textures in thin layers of cubic helimagnets — •Anna B. Butenko, Andrei A. Leonov, Ulrich K. Rößler, and Alexei N. Bogdanov — IFW Dresden

In cubic noncentrosymmetric ferromagnets, uniaxial distortions effectively suppress one-dimensional modulations (helical states) and stabilize Skyrmion lattices in a broad range of thermodynamical parameters [1]. Recently the first direct observations of Skyrmion states have been reported in Fe_0.5Co_0.5Si nanolayers [2]. In this contribution we develop a phenomenological theory of chiral modulations in thin layers of cubic helimagnets and demonstrate that hexagonal Skyrmion lattices in (Fe,Co)Si layers [2] are stabilized due to a combined effect of surface induced unaxial anisotropy and an applied magnetic field. We derive the equilibrium parameters of the Skyrmion and helical states as functions of the applied magnetic field and induced uniaxial anisotropy and construct the magnetic phase diagram which allows to formulate practical recommendations how to stabilize Skyrmion states at low temperatures in MnSi, FeGe, (Fe,Co)Si and similar intermetallic compounds with B20 structure.

[1] A.B. Butenko et al., Phys. Rev. B 82 (2010) 052403; U. K. Rößler et al. arXiv:1009.4849.

[2] X.Z. Yu et al., Nature 465 (2010) 901.