Magnetic frustration as a source of topological spin textures

Spin textures (arrays of magnetic vortices or skyrmions) have great potential as magnetic information carriers. For a long time noncentrosymmetric itinerant ferromagnets (MnSi, etc.) have been considered as a unique group of materials where periodic arrays of skyrmions could be stabilized. Present research identifies other promising mechanisms.

We are studying frustrated systems where the delicate balance between exchanges and anisotropies favours multi-q structures which are re-requisites for spin textures. Experimentally we study bulk properties and neutron scattering of the identified materials, model the observations determining spin arrangements and their excitations and theoretically identify the relevant exchange Hamiltonians.

NUM laboratory: Laboratory for Neutron Scattering and Imaging LNS

Contact person: Dr. Oksana Zaharko, email, phone: +41 56 310 46 33

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