851 research outputs found
Skyrmion Lattice in a Chiral Magnet
Skyrmions represent topologically stable field configurations with
particle-like properties. We used neutron scattering to observe the spontaneous
formation of a two-dimensional lattice of skyrmion lines, a type of magnetic
vortices, in the chiral itinerant-electron magnet MnSi. The skyrmion lattice
stabilizes at the border between paramagnetism and long-range helimagnetic
order perpendicular to a small applied magnetic field regardless of the
direction of the magnetic field relative to the atomic lattice. Our study
experimentally establishes magnetic materials lacking inversion symmetry as an
arena for new forms of crystalline order composed of topologically stable spin
states
Novel crystal phase in suspensions of hard ellipsoids
We present a computer simulation study on the crystalline phases of hard
ellipsoids of revolution. For aspect ratios greater than or equal to 3 the
previously suggested stretched-fcc phase [D. Frenkel and B. M. Mulder, Mol.
Phys. 55, 1171 (1985)] is replaced by a novel crystalline phase. Its unit cell
contains two ellipsoids with unequal orientations. The lattice is simple
monoclinic. The angle of inclination of the lattice, beta, is a very soft
degree of freedom, while the two right angles are stiff. For one particular
value of beta, the close-packed version of this crystal is a specimen of the
family of superdense packings recently reported [Donev et al., Phys. Rev. Lett.
92, 255506 (2004)]. These results are relevant for studies of nucleation and
glassy dynamics of colloidal suspensions of ellipsoids.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
Solid-solid phase transition in hard ellipsoids
We present a computer simulation study of the crystalline phases of hard
ellipsoids of revolution. A previous study [Phys. Rev. E, \textbf{75}, 020402
(2007)] showed that for aspect ratios the previously suggested
stretched-fcc phase [Mol. Phys., \textbf{55}, 1171 (1985)] is unstable with
respect to a simple monoclinic phase with two ellipsoids of different
orientations per unit cell (SM2). In order to study the stability of these
crystalline phases at different aspect ratios and as a function of density we
have calculated their free energies by thermodynamic integration. The
integration path was sampled by an expanded ensemble method in which the
weights were adjusted by the Wang-Landau algorithm.
We show that for aspect ratios the SM2 structure is more stable
than the stretched-fcc structure for all densities above solid-nematic
coexistence. Between and our calculations reveal a
solid-solid phase transition
Quantum Phase Transitions in the Itinerant Ferromagnet ZrZn
We report a study of the ferromagnetism of ZrZn, the most promising
material to exhibit ferromagnetic quantum criticality, at low temperatures
as function of pressure . We find that the ordered ferromagnetic moment
disappears discontinuously at =16.5 kbar. Thus a tricritical point
separates a line of first order ferromagnetic transitions from second order
(continuous) transitions at higher temperature. We also identify two lines of
transitions of the magnetisation isotherms up to 12 T in the plane where
the derivative of the magnetization changes rapidly. These quantum phase
transitions (QPT) establish a high sensitivity to local minima in the free
energy in ZrZn, thus strongly suggesting that QPT in itinerant
ferromagnets are always first order
Critical spin-flip scattering at the helimagnetic transition of MnSi
We report spherical neutron polarimetry (SNP) and discuss the spin-flip
scattering cross sections as well as the chiral fraction close to the
helimagnetic transition in MnSi. For our study, we have developed a
miniaturised SNP device that allows fast data collection when used in small
angle scattering geometry with an area detector. Critical spin-flip scattering
is found to be governed by chiral paramagnons that soften on a sphere in
momentum space. Carefully accounting for the incoherent spin-flip background,
we find that the resulting chiral fraction decreases gradually above the
helimagnetic transition reflecting a strongly renormalised chiral correlation
length with a temperature dependence in excellent quantitative agreement with
the Brazovskii theory for a fluctuation-induced first order transition.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure
A hidden constant in the anomalous Hall effect of a high-purity magnet MnSi
Measurements of the Hall conductivity in MnSi can provide incisive tests of
theories of the anomalous Hall (AH) effect, because both the mean-free-path and
magnetoresistance (MR) are unusually large for a ferromagnet. The large MR
provides an accurate way to separate the AH conductivity from
the ordinary Hall conductivity . Below the Curie temperature
, is linearly proportional to (magnetization) with a
proportionality constant that is independent of both and . In
particular, remains a constant while changes by a factor
of 100 between 5 K and . We discuss implications of the hidden constancy
in .Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures. Minor change
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
Crystalline phases in chiral ferromagnets: Destabilization of helical order
In chiral ferromagnets, weak spin-orbit interactions twist the ferromagnetic
order into spirals, leading to helical order. We investigate an extended
Ginzburg-Landau theory of such systems where the helical order is destabilized
in favor of crystalline phases. These crystalline phases are based on periodic
arrangements of double-twist cylinders and are strongly reminiscent of blue
phases in liquid crystals. We discuss the relevance of such blue phases for the
phase diagram of the chiral ferromagnet MnSi.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures (published version
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