Control of helix orientation in chiral magnets via lateral confinement

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates how geometrical confinement can control helix orientation in chiral magnets like FeGe, using simulations and experiments to establish a tunable mechanism for spin-spiral state manipulation.

Contribution

It introduces a geometry-induced anisotropy mechanism for controlling helix orientation in chiral magnets, supported by analytical models, simulations, and experimental validation.

Findings

Open boundaries induce a chiral surface twist affecting helix orientation.

Analytical models accurately predict the boundary-driven anisotropy.

Experimental results confirm geometry-controlled helimagnetic order.

Abstract

Helimagnetic materials offer a versatile platform for spin-based device concepts owing to their long-range, tunable spiral order. Here, we demonstrate controlled manipulation of the helimagnetic propagation vector q by geometrical confinement, using FeGe as a model DMI-driven chiral magnet. Micromagnetic simulations based on the nonlinear sigma model reveal that open boundaries give rise to a chiral surface twist acting as an effective surface anisotropy, which dictates the preferred helix orientation in the absence of magnetostatic shape effects. This geometry-induced anisotropy is quantitatively captured by an analytical model derived from the DMI boundary condition. Magnetic force microscopy measurements on focused-ion-beam structured FeGe confirm the predicted orientation behavior and establish geometry-controlled helimagnetic order as a robust, tunable mechanism for steering DMI-stabilized spin-spiral states. The concept provides a general route toward device-level control of chiral magnetic order in of non-centrosymmetric systems.