Zoology of Multiple-Q Spin Textures in a Centrosymmetric Tetragonal Magnet with Itinerant Electrons

Journal Article · 28 January 2022 · Advanced Science

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202105452 · OSTI ID:2471428

Khanh, Nguyen Duy  ^[1]; Nakajima, Taro ^[1]; Hayami, Satoru ^[2]; Gao, Shang ^[3]; Yamasaki, Yuichi ^[4]; Sagayama, Hajime ^[5]; Nakao, Hironori ^[5]; Takagi, Rina ^[6]; Motome, Yukitoshi ^[7]; Tokura, Yoshinori ^[8]; Arima, Taka‐hisa ^[8]; Seki, Shinichiro ^[9]

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1. RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science (CEMS), Wako (Japan); Univ. of Tokyo, Kashiwa (Japan)
2. Univ. of Tokyo (Japan); Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), Kawaguchi (Japan). PRESTO
3. RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science (CEMS), Wako (Japan); Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
4. National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), Tsukuba (Japan); Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), Kawaguchi (Japan). PRESTO
5. High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK), Tsukuba (Japan)
6. Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States); Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), Kawaguchi (Japan). PRESTO
7. Univ. of Tokyo (Japan)
8. RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science (CEMS), Wako (Japan); Univ. of Tokyo (Japan)
9. RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science (CEMS), Wako (Japan); Univ. of Tokyo (Japan); Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), Kawaguchi (Japan). PRESTO

Magnetic skyrmion is a topologically stable particle-like swirling spin texture potentially suitable for high-density information bit, which was first observed in noncentrosymmetric magnets with Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction. Recently, nanometric skyrmion has also been discovered in centrosymmetric rare-earth compounds, and the identification of their skyrmion formation mechanism and further search of nontrivial spin textures are highly demanded. Here, magnetic structures in a prototypical skyrmion-hosting centrosymmetric tetragonal magnet GdRu2Si2 is exhaustively studied by performing the resonant X-ray scattering experiments. A rich variety of double-Q magnetic structures, including the antiferroic order of meron(half-skyrmion)/anti-meron-like textures with fractional local topological charges are identified. The observed intricate magnetic phase diagram is successfully reproduced by the theoretical framework considering the four-spin interaction mediated by itinerant electrons and magnetic anisotropy. The present results will contribute to the better understanding of the novel skyrmion formation mechanism in this centrosymmetric rare-earth compound, and suggest that itinerant electrons can ubiquitously host a variety of unique multiple-Q spin orders in a simple crystal lattice system.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• Grant/Contract Number: AC05-00OR22725
• OSTI ID: 2471428
• Journal Information: Advanced Science, Journal Name: Advanced Science Journal Issue: 10 Vol. 9; ISSN 2198-3844
• Publisher: WileyCopyright Statement
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English