en
Scientific article
English

Filming the formation and fluctuation of skyrmion domains by cryo-Lorentz transmission electron microscopy

Publication date2015
Abstract

Magnetic skyrmions are promising candidates as information carriers in logic or storage devices thanks to their robustness, guaranteed by the topological protection, and their nanometric size. Currently, little is known about the influence of parameters such as disorder, defects, or external stimuli on the long-range spatial distribution and temporal evolution of the skyrmion lattice. Here, using a large (7.3 × 7.3 μm2) single-crystal nanoslice (150 nm thick) of Cu2OSeO3, we image up to 70,000 skyrmions by means of cryo-Lorentz transmission electron microscopy as a function of the applied magnetic field. The emergence of the skyrmion lattice from the helimagnetic phase is monitored, revealing the existence of a glassy skyrmion phase at the phase transition field, where patches of an octagonally distorted skyrmion lattice are also discovered. In the skyrmion phase, dislocations are shown to cause the emergence and switching between domains with different lattice orientations, and the temporal fluctuation of these domains is filmed. These results demonstrate the importance of direct-space and real-time imaging of skyrmion domains for addressing both their long-range topology and stability.

Research group
Citation (ISO format)
RAJESWARI, Jayaraman et al. Filming the formation and fluctuation of skyrmion domains by cryo-Lorentz transmission electron microscopy. In: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2015, vol. 112, n° 46, p. 14212–14217. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1513343112
Main files (1)
Article (Published version)
accessLevelRestricted
Identifiers
ISSN of the journal0027-8424
475views
0downloads

Technical informations

Creation09/25/2016 5:12:00 PM
First validation09/25/2016 5:12:00 PM
Update time03/15/2023 12:46:46 AM
Status update03/15/2023 12:46:45 AM
Last indexation01/16/2024 9:53:00 PM
All rights reserved by Archive ouverte UNIGE and the University of GenevaunigeBlack