Reciprocal space tomography of 3D skyrmion lattice order in a chiral magnet.

ABSTRACT: It is commonly assumed that surfaces modify the properties of stable materials within the top few atomic layers of a bulk specimen only. Exploiting the polarization dependence of resonant elastic X-ray scattering to go beyond conventional diffraction and imaging techniques, we have determined the depth dependence of the full 3D spin structure of skyrmions-that is, topologically nontrivial whirls of the magnetization-below the surface of a bulk sample of Cu₂OSeO₃ We found that the skyrmions change exponentially from pure Néel- to pure Bloch-twisting over a distance of several hundred nanometers between the surface and the bulk, respectively. Though qualitatively consistent with theory, the strength of the Néel-twisting at the surface and the length scale of the variati

SUBMITTER: Zhang S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6016781 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature