Mapping Metastable Magnetic Textures in (Fe0.5Co0.5)5GeTe2 with in-situ Lorentz Transmission Electron Microscopy

TL;DR

This study employs in-situ Lorentz TEM to map and analyze metastable skyrmion states in (Fe0.5Co0.5)5GeTe2 under various temperature and magnetic field conditions, providing insights for future magnetic control applications.

Contribution

It introduces a novel in-situ TEM approach to create and map metastable magnetic textures in FCGT, establishing a phase diagram for zero-field spin states.

Findings

Established a phase diagram of metastable spin structures in FCGT.

Demonstrated control of magnetic states via field-cooling protocols.

Identified conditions for stabilizing zero-field skyrmions.

Abstract

Topologically protected magnetic textures are a promising route to low-energy control of magnetism, but they are most often studied away from ambient conditions, typically at low temperatures and high magnetic fields. Here we use in-situ Lorentz transmission electron microscopy with control of temperature and magnetic field to investigate the skyrmion metastability in (Fe0.5Co0.5)5GeTe2 (FCGT). By field-cooling FCGT in magnetic fields of different magnitude to different base temperatures and then removing the applied field, we create meta(stable) zero-field magnetic states. We use this method to build a phase diagram of the zero-field metastable spin structures in FCGT, which will be critical for selecting the desired topologically-protected spin state for future studies to manipulate magnetism with stimuli such as electric current, electric field, mechanical strain, and more.