Magnetic Hysteresis of the Skyrmion Lattice in MnSi

ORAL

Abstract

Understanding the complex dynamics of skyrmion formation and destruction is key to developing new technologies which make use of them. Here we report the observation of a hysteresis effect associated with forming and destroying the SkL in the chiral magnet MnSi using small angle neutron scattering (SANS). This effect is very small when compared to the applied field of the cryomagnet (~ 1 mT vs 200 mT), but is observable and reproducable by the added precision of a custom built solenoid supplementing the cryomagnet. This hysteresis effect is due to an intrinsic energy barrier associated with forming and destroying the SkL. We have explored the time dependence and magnetic history dependence of the phenomenon to better understand its origin, which we believe to be related to the intrinsic topological energy barrier associated with forming the skyrmions.

*This work is supported by the US DOE, Office of Basic Energy Sciences Award No. DE-SC0005051. Work at Los Alamos Natl. Lab. was performed under the auspices of the US DOE. A portion of this research used resources at the High Flux Isotope Reactor, a US DOE Office of Science User Facility operated by Oak Ridge Natl. Lab., at Institut Laue-Langevin, and at the Swiss spallation neutron source SINQ, Paul Scherrer Institute.

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Presenters

  • Allan Leishman

    • University of Notre Dame

Authors

  • Allan Leishman

    • University of Notre Dame

  • Morten Eskildsen

    • University of Notre Dame

  • Marc Janoschek

    • Los Alamos National Laboratory
    • LANL

  • Eric Bauer

    • Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA
    • Los Alamos National Laboratory
    • MPA-CMMS, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, USA
    • MPA-CMMS, Los Alamos National Laboratory
    • Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico, USA
    • Los Alamos National Labs

  • Dirk Honecker

    • Institut Laue-Langevin

  • Lisa DeBeer-Schmitt

    • Neutron Science Directorate, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
    • Neutron Scattering Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
    • Oak Ridge National Laboratory

  • Jonathan S White

    • Paul Scherrer Institute