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Title: Topological energy barrier for skyrmion lattice formation in MnSi

Abstract

We report the direct measurement of the topological skyrmion energy barrier through a hysteresis of the skyrmion lattice in the chiral magnet MnSi. Measurements were made using small-angle neutron scattering with a custom-built resistive coil to allow for high-precision minor hysteresis loops. The experimental data were analyzed using an adapted Preisach model to quantify the energy barrier for skyrmion formation and corroborated by the minimum-energy path analysis based on atomistic spin simulations. Here, we reveal that the skyrmion lattice in MnSi forms from the conical phase progressively in small domains, each of which consisting of hundreds of skyrmions, and with an activation barrier of several eV.

Authors:
 [1]; ORCiD logo [2];  [1];  [3];  [4];  [5];  [6]; ORCiD logo [7]; ORCiD logo [8];  [9]; ORCiD logo [1]
  1. University of Notre Dame, IN (United States)
  2. University of Antwerp (Belgium); Universidade Federal de Pernambuco (Brazil)
  3. Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
  4. Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), Villigen (Switzerland)
  5. Institut Laue-Langevin, Grenoble cedex (France)
  6. Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
  7. Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), Villigen (Switzerland)
  8. Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organization (Australia)
  9. University of Antwerp (Belgium)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Univ. of Notre Dame, IN (United States); Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
OSTI Identifier:
1659698
Alternate Identifier(s):
OSTI ID: 1661234
Grant/Contract Number:  
SC0005051; AC05-00OR22725
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Physical Review B
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 102; Journal Issue: 10; Journal ID: ISSN 2469-9950
Publisher:
American Physical Society (APS)
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY; 77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY; Skyrmion; chiral magnets; small-angle neutron scattering; micro magnetic modeling; topological phases of matter; single crystal materials; Landau-Lifschitz-Gilbert equation

Citation Formats

Leishman, A. D., Menezes, R. M., Longbons, G., Bauer, E. D., Janoschek, M., Honecker, D., DeBeer-Schmitt, L., White, J. S., Sokolova, A., Milošević, M. V., and Eskildsen, M. R. Topological energy barrier for skyrmion lattice formation in MnSi. United States: N. p., 2020. Web. doi:10.1103/physrevb.102.104416.
Leishman, A. D., Menezes, R. M., Longbons, G., Bauer, E. D., Janoschek, M., Honecker, D., DeBeer-Schmitt, L., White, J. S., Sokolova, A., Milošević, M. V., & Eskildsen, M. R. Topological energy barrier for skyrmion lattice formation in MnSi. United States. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevb.102.104416
Leishman, A. D., Menezes, R. M., Longbons, G., Bauer, E. D., Janoschek, M., Honecker, D., DeBeer-Schmitt, L., White, J. S., Sokolova, A., Milošević, M. V., and Eskildsen, M. R. Mon . "Topological energy barrier for skyrmion lattice formation in MnSi". United States. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevb.102.104416. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1659698.
@article{osti_1659698,
title = {Topological energy barrier for skyrmion lattice formation in MnSi},
author = {Leishman, A. D. and Menezes, R. M. and Longbons, G. and Bauer, E. D. and Janoschek, M. and Honecker, D. and DeBeer-Schmitt, L. and White, J. S. and Sokolova, A. and Milošević, M. V. and Eskildsen, M. R.},
abstractNote = {We report the direct measurement of the topological skyrmion energy barrier through a hysteresis of the skyrmion lattice in the chiral magnet MnSi. Measurements were made using small-angle neutron scattering with a custom-built resistive coil to allow for high-precision minor hysteresis loops. The experimental data were analyzed using an adapted Preisach model to quantify the energy barrier for skyrmion formation and corroborated by the minimum-energy path analysis based on atomistic spin simulations. Here, we reveal that the skyrmion lattice in MnSi forms from the conical phase progressively in small domains, each of which consisting of hundreds of skyrmions, and with an activation barrier of several eV.},
doi = {10.1103/physrevb.102.104416},
journal = {Physical Review B},
number = 10,
volume = 102,
place = {United States},
year = {Mon Sep 14 00:00:00 EDT 2020},
month = {Mon Sep 14 00:00:00 EDT 2020}
}

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