TY - JOUR
T1 - Skyrmion lattice formation and destruction mechanisms probed with TR-SANS
AU - Liyanage, W. L.N.C.
AU - Tang, Nan
AU - Dally, Rebecca L.
AU - Quigley, Lizabeth J.
AU - Buchanan, C. Charlotte
AU - Shu, Guo Jiun
AU - Butch, Nicholas P.
AU - Krycka, Kathryn
AU - Bleuel, Markus
AU - Borchers, Julie A.
AU - Debeer-Schmitt, Lisa
AU - Gilbert, Dustin A.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 The Royal Society of Chemistry.
PY - 2024/4/24
Y1 - 2024/4/24
N2 - Magnetic skyrmions are topologically protected, nanoscale whirls of the spin configuration that tend to form hexagonally ordered arrays. As a topologically non-trivial structure, the nucleation and annihilation of the skyrmion, as well as the interaction between skyrmions, varies from conventional magnetic systems. Recent works have suggested that the ordering kinetics in these materials occur over millisecond or longer timescales, which is unusually slow for magnetic dynamics. The current work investigates the skyrmion ordering kinetics, particularly during lattice formation and destruction, using time-resolved small angle neutron scattering (TR-SANS). Evaluating the time-resolved structure and intensity of the neutron diffraction pattern reveals the evolving real-space structure of the skyrmion lattice and the timeframe of the formation. Measurements were performed on three prototypical skyrmion materials: MnSi, (Fe,Co)Si, and Cu2OSeO3. To probe lattice formation and destruction kinetics, the systems were prepared in the stable skyrmion state, and then a square-wave magnetic field modulation was applied. The measurements show that the skyrmions quickly form ordered domains, with a significant distribution in lattice parameters, which then converge to the final structure; the results confirm the slow kinetics, with formation times between 10 ms and 99 ms. Comparisons are made between the measured formation times and the fundamental material properties, suggesting the ordering temperature, saturation magnetization and magnetocrystalline anisotropy may be driving the timeframes. Micromagnetic simulations were also performed and support a scaling of the kinetics with sample volume, a behavior which is caused by the reconciling of misaligned domains.
AB - Magnetic skyrmions are topologically protected, nanoscale whirls of the spin configuration that tend to form hexagonally ordered arrays. As a topologically non-trivial structure, the nucleation and annihilation of the skyrmion, as well as the interaction between skyrmions, varies from conventional magnetic systems. Recent works have suggested that the ordering kinetics in these materials occur over millisecond or longer timescales, which is unusually slow for magnetic dynamics. The current work investigates the skyrmion ordering kinetics, particularly during lattice formation and destruction, using time-resolved small angle neutron scattering (TR-SANS). Evaluating the time-resolved structure and intensity of the neutron diffraction pattern reveals the evolving real-space structure of the skyrmion lattice and the timeframe of the formation. Measurements were performed on three prototypical skyrmion materials: MnSi, (Fe,Co)Si, and Cu2OSeO3. To probe lattice formation and destruction kinetics, the systems were prepared in the stable skyrmion state, and then a square-wave magnetic field modulation was applied. The measurements show that the skyrmions quickly form ordered domains, with a significant distribution in lattice parameters, which then converge to the final structure; the results confirm the slow kinetics, with formation times between 10 ms and 99 ms. Comparisons are made between the measured formation times and the fundamental material properties, suggesting the ordering temperature, saturation magnetization and magnetocrystalline anisotropy may be driving the timeframes. Micromagnetic simulations were also performed and support a scaling of the kinetics with sample volume, a behavior which is caused by the reconciling of misaligned domains.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85192690032&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1039/d4nr00858h
DO - 10.1039/d4nr00858h
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85192690032
SN - 2040-3364
VL - 16
SP - 10715
EP - 10726
JO - Nanoscale
JF - Nanoscale
IS - 22
ER -