Topological transitions among skyrmion- and hedgehog-lattice states in cubic chiral magnets.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 30837479.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-019-08985-6 and PMC identifier 6401095.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Manipulating topological spin textures is a key for exploring unprecedented emergent electromagnetic phenomena. Whereas switching control of magnetic skyrmions, e.g., the transitions between a skyrmion-lattice phase and conventional magnetic orders, is intensively studied towards development of future memory device concepts, transitions among spin textures with different topological orders remain largely unexplored. Here we develop a series of chiral magnets MnSi<sub>1-x</sub>Ge<sub>x</sub>, serving as a platform for transitions among skyrmion- and hedgehog-lattice states. By neutron scattering, Lorentz transmission electron microscopy and high-field transport measurements, we observe three different topological spin textures with variation of the lattice constant controlled by Si/Ge substitution: two-dimensional skyrmion lattice in x = 0-0.25 and two distinct three-dimensional hedgehog lattices in x = 0.3-0.6 and x = 0.7-1. The emergence of various topological spin states in the chemical-pressure-controlled materials suggests a new route for direct manipulation of the spin-texture topology by facile mechanical methods.