We theoretically study spin-wave modes and their intense excitations activated by microwave magnetic fields in the skyrmion-crystal phase of insulating magnets by numerically analyzing a two-dimensional spin model using the Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert equation. Two peaks of spin-wave resonances with frequencies of ~1 GHz are found for in-plane a.c. magnetic field where distribution of the out-of-plane spin components circulates around each skyrmion core. Directions of the circulations are opposite between these two modes, and hence the spectra exhibit salient dependence on the circular polarization of irradiating microwave. A breathing-type mode is also found for out-of-plane a.c. magnetic field. By intensively exciting these collective modes, melting of the skyrmion crystal accompanied by a red shift of the resonant frequency is achieved within nano seconds.
A sizable transverse thermoelectric coefficient N , large to the extent that it potentially serves applications, is predicted to arise, by means of first-principles calculations, in a Skyrmion crystal assumed on EuO monolayer where carrier electrons are introduced upon a quantum anomalous Hall insulating phase of Chern number C = 2. This encourages future experiments to pursue such an effect.
The skyrmion is a topologically stable spin texture, in which the spin direction wraps a sphere. The topological nature gives rise to emergent electromagnetic phenomena such as topological Hall effect. Recently, the crystallization of nanoscale skyrmions was observed in chiral helimagnets with use of the neutron diffraction and Lorentz transmission electron microscopy. The skyrmions are quite mobile under electric current density as low as $\sim$ 10$^6$ A/m$^2$, and, in some cases, stable up to near room temperature. These features suggest that the skyrmions may work as a magnetic stable-varia…
Chiral magnetic phases with an unconventional topological twist in the magnetization are of huge interest due to their potential in spintronics applications. Here, we present a general method to induce such exotic magnetic phases using interfacial phase frustration within artificially grown superlattices. To demonstrate our method, we consider a multilayer with two different chiral magnetic phases as the competing orders at the top and bottom and show, using Monte Carlo calculations, that the interfacial phase frustration is realized at the central layer. In particular, we obtain three unconve…
We report small angle neutron scattering of the skyrmion lattice in MnSi using an experimental set-up that minimizes the effects of demagnetizing fields and double scattering. Under these conditions the skyrmion lattice displays resolution-limited Gaussian rocking scans that correspond to a magnetic correlation length in excess of several hundred μm. This is consistent with exceptionally well-defined long-range order. We further establish the existence of higher-order scattering, discriminating parasitic double-scattering with Renninger scans. The field and temperature dependence of the higher…
The emergence of a magnetic skyrmion crystal in a nonsymmorphic lattice system with the screw symmetry is numerically investigated. By performing the simulated annealing for a layered spin model with the isotropic exchange interaction and the antisymmetric Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction, and then constructing a low-temperature phase diagram, we reveal that the skyrmion crystal is stabilized in both zero and nonzero fields even without the threefold rotational symmetry in the two-dimensional plane. We show that a competition between the ferromagnetic interlayer exchange interaction and the l…
Comparison of skyrmion phases between poly and single-crystal MnSi by composite magnetoelectric method
Hebei Normal University（河北师范大学）；Chongqing University（重庆大学）；Chinese Academy of Science（中国科学院）；Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences（中国科学院物理研究所）
A skyrmion crystal has internal degrees of freedom in terms of vorticity and helicity, which gives rise to fascinating types of skyrmion phases (Néel, Bloch, and anti-skyrmion). We show how the degeneracy lifting in tetragonal skyrmion crystals occurs in centrosymmetric itinerant magnets by focusing on microscopic interactions through the Fermi surface instability. We demonstrate that four types of skyrmion crystals can be realized according to the signs of the anisotropic Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yosida interaction, which are sensitive to band structures, electron fillings, atomic orbitals, and…
A mutual interplay between the charge and spin degrees of freedom in itinerant magnets leads to a plethora of topological spin textures, such as magnetic skyrmion and vortex crystals, in both centrosymmetric and noncentrosymmetric hosts. Meanwhile, their stabilization has been extensively studied in the system including the classical localized spins. We here study a realization of the skyrmion crystal in the centrosymmetric triangular-lattice Hubbard model, where the itinerant nature of electrons plays a more significant role. By performing the self-consistent mean-field calculations, we find …
The stability of a magnetic skyrmion crystal in a centrosymmetric orthorhombic lattice system is numerically investigated. By performing the simulated annealing for an effective spin model with the momentum-resolved interaction on a uniaxially distorted triangular lattice, we find that the skyrmion crystal is robustly realized when dominant interaction channels consist of the double-$Q$ structure in momentum space. Moreover, we show that an anti-type skyrmion crystal with the opposite skyrmion number is obtained by tuning the sign of the bond-dependent anisotropic exchange interaction that ori…
Skyrmions are small magnetic quasiparticles, which are uniquely characterized by their topological charge and their helicity. In this Rapid Communication, we show via calculations how both properties can be determined without relying on real-space imaging. The orbital magnetization and topological Hall conductivity measure the arising magnetization due to the circulation of electrons in the bulk and the occurrence of topologically protected edge channels due to the emergent field of a skyrmion crystal. Both observables quantify the topological Hall effect and distinguish skyrmions from antisky…
We study $\mathbb{C}P^2$ Skyrmion crystals in the ferromagnetic SU(3) Heisenberg model with a generalization of the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction and the Zeeman term. The model possesses two different types of Skyrmion crystals with unit-Skyrmions that can be interpreted as bound states of two half-Skyrmions or four quarter-Skyrmions. Our study on $\mathbb{C}P^2$ Skyrmion crystals opens up the possibility for useful future applications since $\mathbb{C}P^2$ Skyrmions have more degrees of freedom than the usual $\mathbb{C}P^1$ (magnetic) Skyrmions.
Skyrmions are topologically nontrivial, magnetic quasi-particles, that are characterized by a topological charge. A regular array of skyrmions - a skyrmion crystal (SkX) - features the topological Hall effect (THE) of electrons, that, in turn, gives rise to the Hall effect of the skyrmions themselves. It is commonly believed that antiferromagnetic skyrmion crystals (AFM-SkXs) lack both effects. In this Rapid Communication, we present a generally applicable method to create stable AFM-SkXs by growing a two sublattice SkX onto a collinear antiferromagnet. As an example we show that both types of…
We report small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) measurements of the skyrmion lattice in two 200~nm thick Cu$_2$OSeO$_3$ lamellae aligned with the applied magnetic field parallel to the out of plane [110] or [100] crystallographic directions. Our measurements show that the equilibrium skyrmion phase in both samples is expanded significantly compared to bulk crystals, existing between approximately 30 and 50~K over a wide region of magnetic field. This skyrmion state is elliptically distorted at low fields for the [110] sample, and symmetric for the [100] sample, possibly due to crystalline anisot…
Magnetic skyrmions have been receiving growing attention as potential information storage and magnetic logic devices since an increasing number of materials have been identified that support skyrmion phases. Explorations of artificial frustrated systems have led to new insights into controlling and engineering new emergent frustration phenomena in frustrated and disordered systems. Here, we propose a skyrmion spin ice, giving a unifying framework for the study of geometric frustration of skyrmion crystals in a non-frustrated artificial geometrical lattice as a consequence of the structural con…
We theoretically study spin and charge excitations of skyrmion crystals stabilized by conduction-electron-mediated magnetic interactions via spin-charge coupling in a centrosymmetric Kondo-lattice model by large-scale spin-dynamics simulations combined with the kernel polynomial method. We reveal clear segregation of spin and charge excitation channels and nonreciprocal nature of the spin excitations governed by the Fermi-surface geometry, which are unique to the skyrmion crystals in centrosymmetric itinerant hosts and can be a source of novel physical phenomena.
Topological spin textures, such as a skyrmion crystal, are a source of unusual physical phenomena owing to the interplay between magnetism and topology. Since physical phenomena depend on the topological property and the symmetry of underlying spin structures, the search for new topological spin textures and emergent phenomena is one of the challenges in condensed matter physics. In this letter, we theoretically explore new topological spin textures arising from the synergy between spin, charge, and sublattice degrees of freedom in an itinerant magnet. By performing simulated annealing for an …
We theoretically investigate the origin of the square-type skyrmion crystal in centrosymmetric itinerant magnets, motivated from the recent experimental finding in GdRu$_2$Si$_2$ [N. D. Khanh $\mathit{et}$ $\mathit{al.}$, Nat. Nanotech. $\mathbf{15}$, 444 (2020)]. By simulated annealing for an effective spin model derived from the Kondo lattice model on a square lattice, we find that a square skyrmion crystal composed of a superposition of two spin helices is stabilized in a magnetic field by synergy between the positive biquadratic, bond-dependent anisotropic, and easy-axis anisotropic intera…
We generate a crystal of skyrmions in two dimensions using a Heisenberg Hamiltonian including the ferromagnetic interaction J, the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction D, and an applied magnetic field H. The ground state (GS) is determined by minimizing the interaction energy. We show that the GS is a skyrmion crystal in a region of (D, H). The stability of this skyrmion crystalline phase at finite temperatures is shown by a study of the time-dependence of the order parameter using Monte Carlo simulations. We observe that the relaxation is very slow and follows a stretched exponential law. The sk…
We theoretically study a stabilization mechanism of the skyrmion crystal in centrosymmetric magnets with a bilayer structure. We show that the interplay between a layer-dependent staggered Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction that arises from the absence of local inversion symmetry and the interlayer exchange interaction gives rise to a plethora of multiple-$Q$ states including the skyrmion crystal with a quantized topological number. By performing the simulated annealing for the bilayer triangular-lattice model under an external magnetic field, we demonstrate that the skyrmion forms the triangul…
The evolution of skyrmion crystal encapsulates skyrmion critical behaviors, such as nucleation, deformation and annihilation. Here, we achieve a tunable evolution of artificial skyrmion crystal in nanostructured synthetic antiferromagnet multilayers, which are comprised of perpendicular magnetic multilayers and nanopatterned arrays of magnetic nanodots. The out-of-plane magnetization hysteresis loops and first-order reversal curves show that the nucleation and annihilation of the artificial skyrmion can be controlled by tuning the diameter of and spacing between the nanodots. Moreover, when th…
Skyrmions are spatially localized magnetic swirls which carry a nonzero integer topological charge. We study crystals of skyrmions in a two-dimensional ferromagnet model with chiral interactions induced by the presence of broken inversion symmetry. We show that non-linear quartic mode-coupling terms allowed by symmetry enhances the Zeeman-field range over which the skyrmion-crystal phase remains stable. Furthermore, it leads to a significant dependence of the lattice constant of this spin crystal over this wide field range. Conduction electrons coupled to such a tunable spin crystal are shown …
We find approximate solutions for the two-dimensional non-linear Σ-model with Dzyalioshinkii-Moriya term, representing magnetic Skyrmions. They are built in an analytic form, by pasting different approximate solutions found in different regions of space. We verify that our construction reproduces the phenomenology known from numerical solutions and Monte Carlo simulations, giving rise to a Skyrmion lattice at an intermediate range of magnetic field, flanked by spiral and ferromagnetic phases for low and high magnetic field respectively.
We consider multiskyrmion configurations in 2D ferromagnets with Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya (DM) interaction and the magnetic field, using the stereographic projection method. In the absence of DM interaction, $D$, and the field, $B$, the skyrmions do not interact and the exact multiskyrmion solution is a sum of individual projections. In certain range of $B, D\neq0$, skyrmions become stable and form a hexagonal lattice. The shape of one skyrmion on the plane is fully determined by $D$ and $B$. We describe multiskyrmion configurations by simple sums of individual skyrmion projections, of the same s…
Magnonics is now an attractive field which focuses on the dynamic characteristics of magnons, a kind of quasiparticles in magnetic media, and attempt to apply magnons for functional devices. In order to construct magnon based devices, it is necessary to fabricate materials with specific and tunable magnon bands and band gaps. Skyrmion based magnonic crystals is one of the most suitable materials which possess periodical skyrmion structure and show applicative magnon bands and band gaps. In this review, we provide an overview over recent theoretical and experimental research on skyrmion based m…
Traditionally, skyrmions are treated as continuum magnetic textures of classical spins with a well-defined topological skyrmion number. Owing to their topological protection, skyrmions have attracted great interest as building blocks in future memory technology. Smaller skyrmions offer greater memory density, however, quantum effects are not negligible for skyrmions with sizes of just a few lattice constants. In this paper we study quantum fluctuations around dense skyrmion crystal ground states, and focus on the utility of a discretized order parameter for quantum skyrmions. The order paramet…
The skyrmion crystal is a periodic array of a swirling topological spin texture. Since it is regarded as an interference pattern by multiple helical spin density waves, the texture changes with the relative phases among the constituent waves. Although the phase degree of freedom is relevant to not only magnetism but also transport properties, its effect has not been elucidated thus far. We here theoretically show that a phase shift can occur in the skyrmion crystals to stabilize tetra-axial vortex crystals with staggered scalar spin chirality. This leads to spontaneous breaking of the lattice …
Skyrmions are topologically protected quantum objects at the nanometre scale. They form perpendicular to an applied magnetic field at a certain temperature and arrange themselves in a typically hexagonal lattice. Using small angle neutron scattering we have determined the magnetic field versus temperature phase diagrams of the stability range of the different magnetic phases, the helical as well as the skyrmion phases in the multiferroic skyrmion material Cu$_2$OSeO$_3$. Therefore, a single crystal was mounted in different crystal orientations, i.e. unoriented and with the crystallographic $\l…
We theoretically report an instability toward a skyrmion crystal in centrosymmetric magnets under hexagonal and trigonal single-ion anisotropy. The results are obtained for a minimal spin model with a crystal-dependent single-ion anisotropy on a triangular lattice by performing simulated annealing. By constructing magnetic phase diagrams in the presence of six different types of single-ion anisotropy while changing the amplitudes of external magnetic field and single-ion anisotropy in a systematic way, we find that the hexagonal and trigonal single-ion anisotropy becomes a source of the skyrmi…
Very often the skyrmions form a triangular crystal in chiral magnets. Here we study the effect of itinerant electrons on the structure of skyrmion crystal (SkX) on triangular lattice using Kondo lattice model in the large coupling limit and treating the localized spins as classical vectors. To simulate the system, we employ hybrid Markov Chain Monte Carlo method (hMCMC) which includes electron diagonalization in each MCMC update for classical spins. We present the low temperature results for $12\times 12$ system at electron density $n=1/3$ which show a sudden jump in skyrmion number when we in…
We consider a C$_6$ invariant lattice of magnetic moments coupled via a Kondo exchange $J$ with a 2D electron gas (2DEG). The effective Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yosida interaction between the moments stabilizes a magnetic skyrmion crystal in the presence of magnetic field and easy-axis anisotropy. An attractive aspect of this mechanism is that the magnitude of the magnetic ordering wave vectors, ${\mathbf Q}_ν$ ($ν=1,2,3$), is dictated by the Fermi wave number $k_F$: $|{\mathbf Q}_ν |=2k_F$. Consequently, the topological contribution to the Hall conductivity of the 2DEG becomes of the order of t…
A skyrmion crystal (SkX) expressed as a multiple number of spiral modulations manifests itself not only in its peculiar magnetic texture but also in nontrivial transport properties originating from an emergent magnetic field. We here report our numerical results for multiple SkXs in a centrosymmetric tetragonal crystal system. By performing simulated annealing for an effective spin model for itinerant magnets, we find that three types of the SkXs with the skyrmion numbers of one and two, which are characterized by different superpositions of helices, are stabilized in the ground state, and are…
Understanding the spin-wave excitations of chiral magnetic order, such as the skyrmion crystal (SkX), is of fundamental interest to confirm such exotic magnetic order. The SkX is realized by competing Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya and ferromagnetic-exchange interactions with a magnetic field or anisotropy. Here we compute the dynamical spin structure factor, using Monte Carlo and spin dynamics simulations, extracting the spin-wave spectrum in the SkX, in the vicinity of the paramagnet to SkX transition. Inside the SkX, we find six spin-wave modes, which are supplemented by another mode originating fro…
We theoretically discover that unique eigenmodes of skyrmion crystal (SkX) are not only magnetically active to ac magnetic field (H^w) but also electrically active to ac electric field (E^w) in a multiferroic chiral-lattice magnet Cu2OSeO3, which amplifies the dynamical magnetoelectric coupling between E^w and the spin texture. The resulting intense interference between their electric and magnetic activation processes can lead to unprecedentedly large diode effect on the microwave, i.e., its absorption by SkX changes up to ~20% when the incident direction is reversed. Our results demonstrate t…
We investigate, within the framework of linear elasticity theory, edge Rayleigh waves of a two-dimensional elastic solid with broken time-reversal and parity symmetries due to a Berry term. As our prime example, we study the elastic edge wave traveling along the boundary of a two-dimensional skyrmion lattice hosted inside a thin-film chiral magnet. We find that the direction of propagation of the Rayleigh modes is determined not only by the chirality of the thin-film, but also by the Poisson ratio of the crystal. We discover three qualitatively different regions distinguished by the chirality …
Multiply periodic states appear in a wide variety of physical contexts, such as the Rayleigh-Benard convection, Faraday waves, liquid crystals, domain patterns in ferromagnetic films and skyrmion crystals recently observed in chiral magnets. Here we study a simple model of an anisotropic frustrated magnet and show that its zero-temperature phase diagram contains numerous multi-q states including the skyrmion crystal. We clarify the mechanism for stabilization of these states, discuss their multiferroic properties and formulate rules for finding new skyrmion materials. In addition to skyrmion c…
Interplay between itinerant electrons and localized spins in itinerant magnets gives rise to a variety of noncoplanar multiple-$Q$ spin textures, such as the skyrmion, hedgehog, meron, and vortex. We elucidate that another type of multiple-$Q$ state consisting of collinear sinusoidal waves, a magnetic bubble crystal, appears at finite temperatures in a centrosymmetric itinerant electron system. The results are obtained for the classical Kondo lattice model with easy-axis single-ion anisotropy on a triangular lattice by a large-scale numerical simulation. We find that a finite-temperature topol…
The elementary excitations of skyrmion crystals experience both emergent magnetic fields and anharmonic interactions brought about by the topologically nontrivial noncollinear texture. The resulting flat bands cause strong spontaneous quasiparticle decay, dressing the eigenmodes of skyrmion crystals with a finite zero-temperature quantum lifetime. Sweeping the flat bands through the spectrum by changing the magnetic field leads to an externally controllable energy-selective magnon breakdown. In particular, we uncover that the three fundamental modes, i.e., the anticlockwise, breathing, and clo…
The frustrated classical antiferromagnetic Heisenberg model with Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya (DM) interactions on the triangular lattice is studied under a magnetic field by means of semiclassical calculations and large-scale Monte Carlo simulations. We show that even a small DM interaction induces the formation of an Antiferromagnetic Skyrmion crystal (AF-SkX) state. Unlike what is observed in ferromagnetic materials, we show that the AF-SkX state consists of three interpenetrating Skyrmion crystals (one by sublattice), and most importantly, the AF-SkX state seems to survive in the limit of zero te…
The hallmark of a skyrmion crystal (SkX) is the topological Hall effect (THE). In this Article, we predict and explain an unconventional behavior of the topological Hall conductivity in SkXs. In simple terms, the spin texture of the skyrmions causes an inhomogeneous emergent magnetic field whose associated Lorentz force acts on the electrons. By making the emergent field homogeneous, the THE is mapped onto the quantum Hall effect (QHE). Consequently, each electronic band of the SkX is assigned to a Landau level. This correspondence of THE and QHE allows to explain the unconventional behavior o…
