Thin film quantum materials

Abstract:

We present a novel method for the investigation of surface acoustic wave (SAW) fields with nanometer resolution by a scanning acoustic force microscope (SAFM). The detection of ultrasound by a force microscope is connected with the nonlinear dependence of the force on the distance between the tip and the surface. Due to this nonlinearity there is an effective shift of the mean position of the tip if one modulates the gap distance by a propagating SAW. Furthermore, the surface charges influence the tip deflection. By operating the SAFM in the dynamic mode the wave amplitude as well as the charge distribution can be measured at common surface structures. The measurements were carried out by a contact and a non-contact mode scanning force microscope (SFM). The SAWs were excited by an interdigital transducer (IDT) on a YZ-LiNbO3 crystal cut at 30.75 MHz (contact) and 39.5 MHz (non-contact). The amplitude of the SAW was modulated by a low frequency (5 Hz and 50 kHz). The low frequency oscillation of the average of the tip-to-surface distance was measured by lock-in technique in dependence on the amplitude and the frequency of the SAW. The measurements of the amplitude of the SAW and the charge distribution were carried out within the IDT.

Abstract:

Magnetic skyrmions are topologically non-trivial nanoscale objects. Their topology, which originates in their chiral domain wall winding, governs their unique response to a motion-inducing force. When subjected to an electrical current, the chiral winding of the spin texture leads to a deflection of the skyrmion trajectory, characterized by an angle with respect to the applied force direction. This skyrmion Hall angle was believed to be skyrmion diameter-dependent. In contrast, our experimental study finds that within the plastic flow regime the skyrmion Hall angle is diameter-independent. At an average velocity of 6 $\pm$ 1 m/s the average skyrmion Hall angle was measured to be 9{\deg} $\pm$ 2{\deg}. In fact, in the plastic flow regime, the skyrmion dynamics is dominated by the local energy landscape such as materials defects and the local magnetic configuration.

Abstract:

We investigate the temperature-dependent electronic structure of the van der Waals ferromagnet, CrGeTe$_3$. Using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, we identify atomic- and orbital-specific band shifts upon cooling through ${T_\mathrm{C}}$. From these, together with x-ray absorption spectroscopy and x-ray magnetic circular dichroism measurements, we identify the states created by a covalent bond between the Te ${5p}$ and the Cr ${e_g}$ orbitals as the primary driver of the ferromagnetic ordering in this system, while it is the Cr ${t_{2g}}$ states that carry the majority of the spin moment. The ${t_{2g}}$ states furthermore exhibit a marked bandwidth increase and a remarkable lifetime enhancement upon entering the ordered phase, pointing to a delicate interplay between localized and itinerant states in this family of layered ferromagnets.

Abstract:

Magnetic skyrmions are nanosized magnetization whirls that exhibit topological robustness and nontrivial magnetoelectrical properties, such as emergent electromagnetism and intriguing spin dynamics in the microwave-frequency region. In chiral magnets, skyrmions are usually found at a pocket in the phase diagram in the vicinity of the ordering temperature, wherein they order in the form of a hexagonal skyrmion lattice (SkL). It is generally believed that this equilibrium SkL phase is a uniform, long-range-ordered magnetic structure with a well-defined lattice constant. Here, using high-resolution small angle resonant elastic x-ray scattering, we study the field- and temperature-dependence of the skyrmion lattice in FeGe and membranes. Indeed, shows the expected rigid skyrmion lattice, known from bulk samples, that is unaffected by tuning field and temperature within the phase pocket. In stark contrast, the lattice constant and skyrmion size in FeGe membranes undergo a continuous evolution within the skyrmion phase pocket, whereby the lattice constant changes by up to 15% and the magnetic scattering intensity varies significantly. Using micromagnetic modeling, it is found that for FeGe the competing energy terms contributing to the formation of the skyrmion lattice fully explain this breathing behavior. In contrast, for this stabilizing energy balance is less affected by the smaller field variation across the skyrmion pocket, leading to the observed rigid lattice structure.