Formation of square skyrmion lattice in a centrosymmetric magnet without geometrical frustration

ORAL

Abstract

Magnetic skyrmion, a topologically stable swirling spin texture, has attracted attention as a particle-like object potentially suitable for high-density information bit. The previous observation of skyrmions has mostly focused on noncentrosymmetric systems with Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction, while the further search of novel mechanisms to realize smaller skyrmion is highly demanded. Here, we report the observation of square skyrmion lattice for a centrosymmetric non-frustrated tetragonal magnet GdRu2Si2 by performing resonant x-ray scattering and Lorentz TEM experiments. The possible origin of observed skyrmion formation has been discussed in terms of four-spin interaction mediated by itinerant electrons. The present results demonstrate that skyrmions can be stabilized even without geometrical frustration and inversion symmetry breaking, and suggest that rare-earth intermetallics with highly-symmetric crystal lattice may be ubiquitously platforms to explore nanometric skyrmions of exotic origins.

*This work was partly supported by Grants-In-Aid for Scientific Research Scientific Research (A) (Grant No. 18H03685) and Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Area, "Nano Spin Conversion Science" (Grant No.17H05186) from JSPS, and PRESTO (Grant No. JPMJPR18L5) from JST.

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Presenters

  • Khanh Nguyen

    • RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science

Authors

  • Khanh Nguyen

    • RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science

  • Taro Nakajima

    • RIKEN
    • RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science

  • Xiuzhen Yu

    • RIKEN
    • RIKEN CEMS, Wako Japan - 3510198
    • RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science

  • Shang Gao

    • RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science

  • Max Hirschberger

    • RIKEN
    • RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science

  • Yuichi Yamasaki

    • NIMS

  • Hajime Sagayama

    • KEK IMSS
    • KEK

  • Hironori Nakao

    • Institute of Materials Structure Science, High Energy Accelerator Research Organization
    • Institute of Materials Structure Science, High Energy Accelerator Research Organization, KEK
    • KEK

  • Licong Peng

    • RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science

  • Kiyomi Nakajima

    • RIKEN
    • RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science

  • Kiyou Shibata

    • The University of Tokyo

  • Rina Takagi

    • The University of Tokyo

  • Taka-hisa Arima

    • RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science

  • Yoshinori Tokura

    • RIKEN
    • Center for Emergent Matter Science (CEMS), RIKEN, Japan
    • CEMS, RIKEN
    • RIKEN CEMS and University of Tokyo
    • Center for Emergent Matter Science (CEMS), RIKEN
    • RIKEN CEMS
    • Department of Applied Physics, The University of Tokyo
    • The University of Tokyo
    • Center for Emergent Matter Science, RIKEN
    • RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science

  • Shinichiro Seki

    • Department of Applied Physics, The University of Tokyo
    • The University of Tokyo
    • Department of Applied Physics and Institute of Engineering Innovation, The University of Tokyo