Second-harmonic response as a tool to detect spin textures in magnetic nodal-line semimetal Fe$_3$GeTe$_2$

TL;DR

This study demonstrates that second-harmonic Hall voltage response in Fe$_3$GeTe$_2$ can be used as an effective tool to detect and analyze spin textures such as skyrmions through transport measurements.

Contribution

The paper introduces the use of second-harmonic Hall voltage response as a novel method to identify and study spin textures in magnetic nodal-line semimetals.

Findings

Second-harmonic response depends on current squared, indicating non-linear Hall effect.

High-field hysteresis in second-harmonic response suggests slow relaxation processes.

Second-harmonic response shape resembles skyrmion-related phenomena, linking transport signals to spin textures.

Abstract

We experimentally investigate second-harmonic transverse voltage response to ac electrical current for a magnetic nodal-line semimetal Fe$_3$GeTe$_2$. For zero magnetic field, the observed response depends as a square of the longitudinal current, as it should be expected for non-linear Hall effect. The magnetic field behavior is found to be sophisticated: while the first-harmonic response shows the known anomalous Hall hysteresis in FGT, the second-harmonic Hall voltage is characterized by the pronounced high-field hysteresis and flat ($B$-independent) region with curves touching at low fields. The high-field hysteresis strongly depends on the magnetic field sweep rate, so it reflects some slow relaxation process. For the lowest rates, it is also accomplished by multiple crossing points. Similar shape of the second-harmonic hysteresis is known for skyrmion spin textures in non-linear optics. Since skyrmions have been demonstrated for FGT by direct visualization techniques, we can connect the observed high-field relaxation with deformation of the skyrmion lattice. Thus, the second-harmonic Hall voltage response can be regarded as a tool to detect spin textures in transport experiments.