# Spin phases of the helimagnetic insulator Cu$_2$OSeO$_3$ probed by magnon heat conduction

## TL;DR

This study investigates how magnon heat conduction reveals spin-phase transitions in the helimagnetic insulator Cu$_2$OSeO$_3$, identifying different magnetic phases and scattering mechanisms through thermal conductivity measurements.

## Contribution

It demonstrates that magnon thermal conductivity can effectively probe and distinguish various spin phases and transitions in Cu$_2$OSeO$_3$, including skyrmion and conical phases.

## Key findings

- Sharp signatures in magnon thermal conductivity identify spin phases.
- Magnon scattering linked to domain boundaries and phase coexistence.
- Distinct features correspond to tilted conical and skyrmion phases.

## Abstract

We report studies of thermal conductivity as functions of magnetic field and temperature in the helimagnetic insulator Cu$_2$OSeO$_3$ that reveal novel features of the spin-phase transitions as probed by magnon heat conduction. The tilted conical spiral and low-temperature skyrmion phases, recently identified in small-angle neutron scattering studies, are clearly identified by sharp signatures in the magnon thermal conductivity. Magnon scattering associated with the presence of domain boundaries in the tilted conical phase and regions of skyrmion and conical-phase coexistence are identified.