Chiming Jin

Edge-mediated skyrmion chain and its collective dynamics in a confined geometry.

The emergence of a topologically nontrivial vortex-like magnetic structure, the magnetic skyrmion, has launched new concepts for memory devices. Extensive studies have theoretically demonstrated the ability to encode information bits by using a chain of skyrmions in one-dimensional nanostripes. Here, we report experimental observation of the skyrmion chain in FeGe nanostripes by using high-resolution Lorentz transmission electron microscopy. Under an applied magnetic field, we observe that the helical ground states with distorted edge spins evolve into individual skyrmions, which assemble in the form of a chain at low field and move collectively into the interior of the nanostripes at elevated fields. Such a skyrmion chain survives even when the width of the nanostripe is much larger than the size of single skyrmion. This discovery demonstrates a way of skyrmion formation through the edge effect, and might, in the long term, shed light on potential applications.

Superconductivity in Topological Insulator Sb[subscript 2]Te[subscript 3] Induced by Pressure

Topological superconductivity is one of most fascinating properties of topological quantum matters that was theoretically proposed and can support Majorana Fermions at the edge state. Superconductivity was previously realized in a Cu-intercalated Bi2Se3 topological compound or a Bi2Te3 topological compound at high pressure. Here we report the discovery of superconductivity in the topological compound Sb2Te3 when pressure was applied. The crystal structure analysis results reveal that superconductivity at a low-pressure range occurs at the ambient phase. The Hall coefficient measurements indicate the change of p-type carriers at a low-pressure range within the ambient phase, into n-type at higher pressures, showing intimate relation to superconducting transition temperature. The first principle calculations based on experimental measurements of the crystal lattice show that Sb2Te3 retains its Dirac surface states within the low-pressure ambient phase where superconductivity was observed, which indicates a strong relationship between superconductivity and topology nature.

Electrical probing of field-driven cascading quantized transitions of skyrmion cluster states in MnSi nanowires

Magnetic skyrmions are topologically stable whirlpool-like spin textures that offer great promise as information carriers for future spintronic devices. To enable such applications, particular attention has been focused on the properties of skyrmions in highly confined geometries such as one-dimensional nanowires. Hitherto, it is still experimentally unclear what happens when the width of the nanowire is comparable to that of a single skyrmion. Here, we achieve this by measuring the magnetoresistance in ultra-narrow MnSi nanowires. We observe quantized jumps in magnetoresistance versus magnetic field curves. By tracking the size dependence of the jump number, we infer that skyrmions are assembled into cluster states with a tunable number of skyrmions, in agreement with the Monte Carlo simulations. Our results enable an electric reading of the number of skyrmions in the cluster states, thus laying a solid foundation to realize skyrmion-based memory devices.

Thickness dependence of the charge-density-wave transition temperature in VSe2

A set of three-dimensional charge-density-wave (3D CDW) VSe2 nano-flakes with different thicknesses were obtained by the scotch tape-based micro-mechanical exfoliation method. Resistivity measurements showed that the 3D CDW transition temperature Tp decreases systematically from 105 K in bulk to 81.8 K in the 11.6 nm thick flake. The Hall resistivity ρxy of all the flakes showed a linear dependent behavior against the magnetic field with a residual electron concentration of the order of ∼1021 cm−3 at 5 K. The electron concentration n increases slightly as the thickness d decreases, possibly due to the CDW gap is reduced with the decrease of the thickness.

Direct imaging of magnetic field-driven transitions of skyrmion cluster states in FeGe nanodisks

Significance The rapid growth of data volume demands faster and denser storage devices. The noncoplanar swirling spin texture, known as magnetic skyrmion, has potential application in future memory devices. To realize such applications, it is essential to understand the properties of individual skyrmion in patterned nanoelements. While quite a number of theoretical efforts have been made in this field, direct experimental demonstration in such a real modeling system is a challenge. Here, we report the direct visualization of skyrmion cluster states in FeGe nanodisks. We determine the common relationship among the temperature, magnetic field, and disk size. These results have an immediate implication for designing future skyrmion-based devices. Magnetic skyrmion is a nanosized magnetic whirl with nontrivial topology, which is highly relevant for applications on future memory devices. To enable the applications, theoretical efforts have been made to understand the dynamics of individual skyrmions in magnetic nanostructures. However, directly imaging the evolution of highly geometrically confined individual skyrmions is challenging. Here, we report the magnetic field-driven dynamics of individual skyrmions in FeGe nanodisks with diameters on the order of several skyrmion sizes by using Lorentz transmission electron microscopy. In contrast to the conventional skyrmion lattice in bulk, a series of skyrmion cluster states with different geometrical configurations and the field-driven cascading phase transitions are identified at temperatures far below the magnetic transition temperature. Furthermore, a dynamics, namely the intermittent jumps between the neighboring skyrmion cluster states, is found at elevated temperatures, at which the thermal energy competes with the energy barrier between the skyrmion cluster states.

Control of morphology and formation of highly geometrically confined magnetic skyrmions

The ability to controllably manipulate magnetic skyrmions, small magnetic whirls with particle-like properties, in nanostructured elements is a prerequisite for incorporating them into spintronic devices. Here, we use state-of-the-art electron holographic imaging to directly visualize the morphology and nucleation of magnetic skyrmions in a wedge-shaped FeGe nanostripe that has a width in the range of 45–150 nm. We find that geometrically-confined skyrmions are able to adopt a wide range of sizes and ellipticities in a nanostripe that are absent in both thin films and bulk materials and can be created from a helical magnetic state with a distorted edge twist in a simple and efficient manner. We perform a theoretical analysis based on a three-dimensional general model of isotropic chiral magnets to confirm our experimental results. The flexibility and ease of formation of geometrically confined magnetic skyrmions may help to optimize the design of skyrmion-based memory devices.

High pressure synthesis of a new superconductor Sr2CuO2+δCl2−y induced by “apical oxygen doping”

Using the apical oxygen doping mechanism, i.e. a partial substitution of divalence O for the monovalence Cl, a p-type oxychloride cuprate superconductor, Sr2CuO2+deltaCl2-y was synthesized at high pressure high temperature. The X-ray diffraction refinement suggests the superconductor crystallizes into a 0201 structure with space group I4/mmm and lattice parameters being a = 3.92 angstrom, c = 15.6 angstrom. The magnetic susceptibility as well as resistance measurements indicated that the bulk superconductivity with transition temperature (T-c) 30 K was achieved in the sample. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Direct Imaging of a Zero-Field Target Skyrmion and Its Polarity Switch in a Chiral Magnetic Nanodisk

A target Skyrmion is a flux-closed spin texture that has twofold degeneracy and is promising as a binary state in next generation universal memories. Although its formation in nanopatterned chiral magnets has been predicted, its observation has remained challenging. Here, we use off-axis electron holography to record images of target Skyrmions in a 160-nm-diameter nanodisk of the chiral magnet FeGe. We compare experimental measurements with numerical simulations, demonstrate switching between two stable degenerate target Skyrmion ground states that have opposite polarities and rotation senses, and discuss the observed switching mechanism.

Critical phenomenon of the near room temperature skyrmion material FeGe.

The cubic B20 compound FeGe, which exhibits a near room temperature skyrmion phase, is of great importance not only for fundamental physics such as nonlinear magnetic ordering and solitons but also for future application of skyrmion states in spintronics. In this work, the critical behavior of the cubic FeGe is investigated by means of bulk dc-magnetization. We obtain the critical exponents (β = 0.336 ± 0.004, γ = 1.352 ± 0.003 and β = 5.276 ± 0.001), where the self-consistency and reliability are verified by the Widom scaling law and scaling equations. The magnetic exchange distance is found to decay as r−4.9, which is close to the theoretical prediction of 3D-Heisenberg model (r−5). The critical behavior of FeGe indicates a short-range magnetic interaction. Meanwhile, the critical exponents also imply an anisotropic magnetic coupling in this system.

Magnetic Skyrmion Formation at Lattice Defects and Grain Boundaries Studied by Quantitative Off-Axis Electron Holography

We use in situ Lorentz microscopy and off-axis electron holography to investigate the formation and characteristics of skyrmion lattice defects and their relationship to the underlying crystallographic structure of a B20 FeGe thin film. We obtain experimental measurements of spin configurations at grain boundaries, which reveal inversions of crystallographic and magnetic chirality across adjacent grains, resulting in the formation of interface spin stripes at the grain boundaries. In the absence of material defects, we observe that skyrmions lattices possess dislocations and domain boundaries, in analogy to atomic crystals. Moreover, the distorted skyrmions can flexibly change their size and shape to accommodate local geometry, especially at sites of dislocations in the skyrmion lattice. Our findings provide a detailed understanding of the elasticity of topologically protected skyrmions and their correlation with underlying material defects.