Disordered skyrmion phase stabilized by magnetic frustration in a chiral magnet.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 30225364.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1126/sciadv.aar7043 and PMC identifier 6140611.
- Licence recorded as CC BY-NC.
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Abstract
Magnetic skyrmions are vortex-like topological spin textures often observed to form a triangular-lattice skyrmion crystal in structurally chiral magnets with the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction. Recently, β-Mn structure-type Co-Zn-Mn alloys were identified as a new class of chiral magnet to host such skyrmion crystal phases, while β-Mn itself is known as hosting an elemental geometrically frustrated spin liquid. We report the intermediate composition system Co<sub>7</sub>Zn<sub>7</sub>Mn<sub>6</sub> to be a unique host of two disconnected, thermal-equilibrium topological skyrmion phases; one is a conventional skyrmion crystal phase stabilized by thermal fluctuations and restricted to exist just below the magnetic transition temperature <i>T</i><sub>c</sub>, and the other is a novel three-dimensionally disordered skyrmion phase that is stable well below <i>T</i><sub>c</sub>. The stability of this new disordered skyrmion phase is due to a cooperative interplay between the chiral magnetism with the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction and the frustrated magnetism inherent to β-Mn.