Generic aspects of skyrmion lattices in chiral magnets

TL;DR

This paper reviews the common features of skyrmion lattice phases in chiral magnets, highlighting their topological nature and the universal aspects of their phase diagrams across different material types.

Contribution

It provides a comparative overview of skyrmion lattice structures in various chiral magnets, emphasizing their universal properties and topological characteristics.

Findings

Skyrmion lattices are topologically non-trivial spin structures.

Magnetic phase diagrams show remarkable similarities across different materials.

Skyrmion phases occur in metals, semiconductors, and insulators.

Abstract

Magnetic skyrmions are topologically non-trivial spin whirls that may not be transformed continuously into topologically trivial states such as ferromagnetic spin alignment. In recent years lattice structures composed of skyrmions have been discovered in certain bulk chiral magnets with non-centrosymmetric crystal structures. The magnetic phase diagrams of these materials share remarkable similarities despite great variations of the characteristic temperature, field, and length scales and regardless whether the underlying electronic state is that of a metal, semiconductor, or insulator.