Skyrmion Lattice in a Doped Semiconductor

2009/03/16 by W. Münzer, A. Neubauer, S. Mühlbauer +9 · 2 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #cond-mat.str-el #cond-mat.mes-hall

paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevb.81.041203

published as Phys. Rev. B (R) 81, 041203 (2010)

Abstract

We report a comprehensive small angle neutron scattering study (SANS) of the magnetic phase diagram of the doped semiconductor Fe_1-xCo_xSi for x=0.2 and 0.25. For magnetic field parallel to the neutron beam we observe a six-fold intensity pattern under field-cooling, which identifies the A-phase of Fe_1-xCo_xSi as a skyrmion lattice. The regime of the skyrmion lattice is highly hysteretic and extents over a wide temperature range, consistent with the site disorder of the Fe and Co atoms. Our study identifies Fe_1-xCo_xSi is a second material after MnSi in which a skyrmion lattice forms and establishes that skyrmion lattices may also occur in strongly doped semiconductors.

Cited by

• Tripartite hybrid quantum systems: Skyrmion-mediated quantum interactions between single NV centers and superconducting qubits
• Unconventional Relaxation Dynamics in Co₈Zn₇Mn₅ and Co₈Zn₈Mn₄: Evidence of Inertial Effects