776 research outputs found
Uniaxial pressure dependence of magnetic order in MnSi
We report comprehensive small angle neutron scattering (SANS) measurements
complemented by ac susceptibility data of the helical order, conical phase and
skyrmion lattice phase (SLP) in MnSi under uniaxial pressures. For all
crystallographic orientations uniaxial pressure favours the phase for which a
spatial modulation of the magnetization is closest to the pressure axis.
Uniaxial pressures as low as 1kbar applied perpendicular to the magnetic field
axis enhance the skyrmion lattice phase substantially, whereas the skyrmion
lattice phase is suppressed for pressure parallel to the field. Taken together
we present quantitative microscopic information how strain couples to magnetic
order in the chiral magnet MnSi.Comment: 23 pages, includes supplemen
Parasitic small-moment-antiferromagnetism and non-linear coupling of hidden order and antiferromagnetism in URu2Si2 observed by Larmor diffraction
We report simultaneous measurements of the distribution of lattice constants
and the antiferromagnetic moment in high-purity URu2Si2, using both Larmor and
conventional neutron diffraction, as a function of temperature and pressure up
to 18 kbar. We establish that the tiny moment in the hidden order (HO) state is
purely parasitic and quantitatively originates from the distribution of lattice
constants. Moreover, the HO and large-moment antiferromagnetism (LMAF) at high
pressure are separated by a line of first-order phase transitions, which ends
in a bicritical point. Thus the HO and LMAF are coupled non-linearly and must
have different symmetry, as expected of the HO being, e.g., incommensurate
orbital currents, helicity order, or multipolar order.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
Imaging and manipulation of skyrmion lattice domains in Cu2OSeO3
Nanoscale chiral skyrmions in noncentrosymmetric helimagnets are promising
binary state variables in high-density, low-energy nonvolatile memory.
Skyrmions are ubiquitous as an ordered, single-domain lattice phase, which
makes it difficult to write information unless they are spatially broken up
into smaller units, each representing a bit. Thus, the formation and
manipulation of skyrmion lattice domains is a prerequisite for memory
applications. Here, using an imaging technique based on resonant magnetic x-ray
diffraction, we demonstrate the mapping and manipulation of skyrmion lattice
domains in Cu2OSeO3. The material is particularly interesting for applications
owing to its insulating nature, allowing for electric field-driven domain
manipulation.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Band structure of helimagnons in MnSi resolved by inelastic neutron scattering
A magnetic helix realizes a one-dimensional magnetic crystal with a period
given by the pitch length . Its spin-wave excitations -- the
helimagnons -- experience Bragg scattering off this periodicity leading to gaps
in the spectrum that inhibit their propagation along the pitch direction. Using
high-resolution inelastic neutron scattering the resulting band structure of
helimagnons was resolved by preparing a single crystal of MnSi in a single
magnetic-helix domain. At least five helimagnon bands could be identified that
cover the crossover from flat bands at low energies with helimagnons basically
localized along the pitch direction to dispersing bands at higher energies. In
the low-energy limit, we find the helimagnon spectrum to be determined by a
universal, parameter-free theory. Taking into account corrections to this
low-energy theory, quantitative agreement is obtained in the entire energy
range studied with the help of a single fitting parameter.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures; (v2) slight modifications, published versio
Strain in epitaxial MnSi films on Si(111) in the thick film limit studied by polarization-dependent extended x-ray absorption fine structure
We report a study of the strain state of epitaxial MnSi films on Si(111)
substrates in the thick film limit (100-500~\AA) as a function of film
thickness using polarization-dependent extended x-ray absorption fine structure
(EXAFS). All films investigated are phase-pure and of high quality with a sharp
interface between MnSi and Si. The investigated MnSi films are in a thickness
regime where the magnetic transition temperature assumes a
thickness-independent enhanced value of 43~K as compared with that of
bulk MnSi, where . A detailed refinement of
the EXAFS data reveals that the Mn positions are unchanged, whereas the Si
positions vary along the out-of-plane [111]-direction, alternating in
orientation from unit cell to unit cell. Thus, for thick MnSi films, the unit
cell volume is essentially that of bulk MnSi --- except in the vicinity of the
interface with the Si substrate (thin film limit). In view of the enhanced
magnetic transition temperature we conclude that the mere presence of the
interface, and its specific characteristics, strongly affects the magnetic
properties of the entire MnSi film, even far from the interface. Our analysis
provides invaluable information about the local strain at the MnSi/Si(111)
interface. The presented methodology of polarization dependent EXAFS can also
be employed to investigate the local structure of other interesting interfaces.Comment: 11 pages, 10 figure
Pressure dependence of the magnetization in the ferromagnetic superconductor UGe_2
The recent discovery that superconductivity occurs in several clean itinerant
ferromagnets close to low temperature magnetic instabilities naturally invites
an interpretation based on a proximity to quantum criticality. Here we report
measurements of the pressure dependence of the low temperature magnetisation in
one of these materials, UGe_2. Our results show that both of the magnetic
transitions observed in this material as a function of pressure are first order
transitions and do not therefore correspond to quantum critical points. Further
we find that the known pressure dependence of the superconducting transition is
not reflected in the pressure dependence of the static susceptibility. This
demonstrates that the spectrum of excitations giving superconductivity is not
that normally associated with a proximity to quantum criticality in weak
itinerant ferromagnets. In contrast our data suggest that instead the pairing
spectrum might be related to a sharp spike in the electronic density of states
that also drives one of the magnetic transitions.Comment: to appear in Phys. Rev. Let
Long-range crystalline nature of the skyrmion lattice in MnSi
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 {\mu}m. 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-order
scattering arises from an interference effect. It is characteristic for the
long-range crystalline nature of the skyrmion lattice as shown by simple mean
field calculations.Comment: 4 page
Low spin wave damping in the insulating chiral magnet CuOSeO
Chiral magnets with topologically nontrivial spin order such as Skyrmions
have generated enormous interest in both fundamental and applied sciences. We
report broadband microwave spectroscopy performed on the insulating chiral
ferrimagnet CuOSeO. For the damping of magnetization dynamics we
find a remarkably small Gilbert damping parameter of about at
5 K. This value is only a factor of 4 larger than the one reported for the best
insulating ferrimagnet yttrium iron garnet. We detect a series of sharp
resonances and attribute them to confined spin waves in the mm-sized samples.
Considering the small damping, insulating chiral magnets turn out to be
promising candidates when exploring non-collinear spin structures for high
frequency applications.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures, and supplementary materia
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