Degeneracy Lifting of N\'eel, Bloch, and Anti-Skyrmion Crystals in Centrosymmetric Tetragonal Systems

TL;DR

This paper investigates how degeneracy among different skyrmion crystal types in centrosymmetric tetragonal systems can be lifted through microscopic interactions, enabling control over skyrmion phases via electronic tuning.

Contribution

It reveals how anisotropic RKKY interactions influence skyrmion crystal types in centrosymmetric magnets, offering new ways to control skyrmion phases without noncentrosymmetric structures.

Findings

Four skyrmion crystal types can be stabilized by RKKY interaction signs.

Skyrmion phases are sensitive to band structure, electron filling, and atomic orbitals.

Control of skyrmion types via doping and pressure is possible.

Abstract

A skyrmion crystal has internal degrees of freedom in terms of vorticity and helicity, which gives rise to fascinating types of skyrmion phases (N\'eel, Bloch, and anti-skyrmion). We show how the degeneracy lifting in tetragonal skyrmion crystals occurs in centrosymmetric itinerant magnets by focusing on microscopic interactions through the Fermi surface instability. We demonstrate that four types of skyrmion crystals can be realized according to the signs of the anisotropic Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yosida interaction, which are sensitive to band structures, electron fillings, atomic orbitals, and sublattice positions. Our findings might provide a possibility of controlling the types of the skyrmion crystals by electron doping and external pressure rather than relying on the noncentrosymmetric lattice structures.