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Low-Field Bi-Skyrmion Formation in a Noncentrosymmetric Chimney Ladder Ferromagnet

Type of publication Peer-reviewed
Publikationsform Original article (peer-reviewed)
Author Takagi R., Yu X. Z., White J. S., Shibata K., Kaneko Y., Tatara G., Rønnow H. M., Tokura Y., Seki S.,
Project Discovery and Nanoengineering of Novel Skyrmion-hosting Materials
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Original article (peer-reviewed)

Journal Physical Review Letters
Volume (Issue) 120(3)
Page(s) 037203 - 037203
Title of proceedings Physical Review Letters
DOI 10.1103/physrevlett.120.037203

Abstract

The real-space spin texture and the relevant magnetic parameters were investigated for an easy-axis noncentrosymmetric ferromagnet Cr11Ge19 with Nowotny chimney ladder structure. Using Lorentz transmission electron microscopy, we report the formation of bi-Skyrmions, i.e., pairs of spin vortices with opposite magnetic helicities. The quantitative evaluation of the magnetocrystalline anisotropy and Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI) proves that the magnetic dipolar interaction plays a more important role than the DMI on the observed bi-Skyrmion formation. Notably, the critical magnetic field value required for the formation of bi-Skyrmions turned out to be extremely small in this system, which is ascribed to strong easy-axis anisotropy associated with the characteristic helix crystal structure. The family of Nowotny chimney ladder compounds may offer a unique material platform where two distinctive Skyrmion formation mechanisms favoring different topological spin textures can become simultaneously active.
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