Light-Induced Metastable Hidden Skyrmion Phase in the Mott Insulator Cu2OSeO3
(2023) In Advanced Materials 35(33).- Abstract
The discovery of a novel long-lived metastable skyrmion phase in the multiferroic insulator Cu2OSeO3 visualized with Lorentz transmission electron microscopy for magnetic fields below the equilibrium skyrmion pocket is reported. This phase can be accessed by exciting the sample non-adiabatically with near-infrared femtosecond laser pulses and cannot be reached by any conventional field-cooling protocol, referred as a hidden phase. From the strong wavelength dependence of the photocreation process and via spin-dynamics simulations, the magnetoelastic effect is identified as the most likely photocreation mechanism. This effect results in a transient modification of the magnetic free energy landscape extending the... (More)
The discovery of a novel long-lived metastable skyrmion phase in the multiferroic insulator Cu2OSeO3 visualized with Lorentz transmission electron microscopy for magnetic fields below the equilibrium skyrmion pocket is reported. This phase can be accessed by exciting the sample non-adiabatically with near-infrared femtosecond laser pulses and cannot be reached by any conventional field-cooling protocol, referred as a hidden phase. From the strong wavelength dependence of the photocreation process and via spin-dynamics simulations, the magnetoelastic effect is identified as the most likely photocreation mechanism. This effect results in a transient modification of the magnetic free energy landscape extending the equilibrium skyrmion pocket to lower magnetic fields. The evolution of the photoinduced phase is monitored for over 15 min and no decay is found. Because such a time is much longer than the duration of any transient effect induced by a laser pulse in a material, it is assumed that the newly discovered skyrmion state is stable for practical purposes, thus breaking ground for a novel approach to control magnetic state on demand at ultrafast timescales and drastically reducing heat dissipation relevant for next-generation spintronic devices.
(Less)
- author
- organization
- publishing date
- 2023-08-17
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- femtosecond laser pulses, magnetoelastic effect, multiferroic materials, skyrmions, spintronics, topological materials
- in
- Advanced Materials
- volume
- 35
- issue
- 33
- article number
- 2304197
- publisher
- John Wiley & Sons Inc.
- external identifiers
-
- pmid:37282751
- scopus:85164203235
- ISSN
- 0935-9648
- DOI
- 10.1002/adma.202304197
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- c1e62e60-8a36-4f14-a920-4b6f0b21d61d
- date added to LUP
- 2023-11-07 14:51:39
- date last changed
- 2024-04-19 07:47:49
@article{c1e62e60-8a36-4f14-a920-4b6f0b21d61d,
abstract = {{<p>The discovery of a novel long-lived metastable skyrmion phase in the multiferroic insulator Cu<sub>2</sub>OSeO<sub>3</sub> visualized with Lorentz transmission electron microscopy for magnetic fields below the equilibrium skyrmion pocket is reported. This phase can be accessed by exciting the sample non-adiabatically with near-infrared femtosecond laser pulses and cannot be reached by any conventional field-cooling protocol, referred as a hidden phase. From the strong wavelength dependence of the photocreation process and via spin-dynamics simulations, the magnetoelastic effect is identified as the most likely photocreation mechanism. This effect results in a transient modification of the magnetic free energy landscape extending the equilibrium skyrmion pocket to lower magnetic fields. The evolution of the photoinduced phase is monitored for over 15 min and no decay is found. Because such a time is much longer than the duration of any transient effect induced by a laser pulse in a material, it is assumed that the newly discovered skyrmion state is stable for practical purposes, thus breaking ground for a novel approach to control magnetic state on demand at ultrafast timescales and drastically reducing heat dissipation relevant for next-generation spintronic devices.</p>}},
author = {{Truc, Benoit and Sapozhnik, Alexey A. and Tengdin, Phoebe and Viñas Boström, Emil and Schönenberger, Thomas and Gargiulo, Simone and Madan, Ivan and LaGrange, Thomas and Magrez, Arnaud and Verdozzi, Claudio and Rubio, Angel and Rønnow, Henrik M. and Carbone, Fabrizio}},
issn = {{0935-9648}},
keywords = {{femtosecond laser pulses; magnetoelastic effect; multiferroic materials; skyrmions; spintronics; topological materials}},
language = {{eng}},
month = {{08}},
number = {{33}},
publisher = {{John Wiley & Sons Inc.}},
series = {{Advanced Materials}},
title = {{Light-Induced Metastable Hidden Skyrmion Phase in the Mott Insulator Cu<sub>2</sub>OSeO<sub>3</sub>}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/adma.202304197}},
doi = {{10.1002/adma.202304197}},
volume = {{35}},
year = {{2023}},
}