Regensburg 2019 – scientific programme
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TT: Fachverband Tiefe Temperaturen
TT 47: Quantum Magnets, Molecular Magnets and Skyrmions
TT 47.11: Talk
Wednesday, April 3, 2019, 17:45–18:00, H23
Observation of two independent skyrmion phases in a chiral magnet material — •Alfonso Chacon1, Lukas Heinen2, Marco Halder1, Andreas Bauer1, Wolfgang Simeth1, Sebastian Mühlbauer3, Helmuth Berger4, Markus Garst5, Achim Rosch2, and Christian Pfleiderer1 — 1Physik Department, Technische Universität München, Garching, Germany — 2Institut für Theoretische Physik, Universität zu Köln, Köln, Germany — 3Heinz Maier-Leibnitz (MLZ), Technische Universität München, Garching, Germany — 4École Polytechnique Federale de Laussane, Laussane, Switzerland — 5Institut für Theoretische Physik, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
Magnetic materials can host skyrmions, which are topologically non-trivial spin textures. In chiral magnets with cubic lattice symmetry, all previously observed skyrmion phases require thermal flucturations to become thermodynamically stable in bulk materials, and therefore exist only at relatively high temperature, close to the helimagnetic transition temperature. Here, we report the identification of a second skyrmion phase in Cu2OSeO3 at low temperature and in the presence of an applied magnetic field, from small angle neutron scattering and magnetization measurements. Theoretical modelling provides evidence that the stabilization mechanism is given by well-known cubic anisotropy terms, and accounts for an additional observation of metastable helices tilted away from the applied field. The generic character of the underlying mechanism suggests a new avenue for the discovery, design and manipulation of topological spin textures.