Skyrmions in MnSi Nanowires

Stabilized Skyrmion Phase Detected in MnSi Nanowires by Dynamic Cantilever Magnetometry
A. Mehlin, F. Xue, D. Liang, H. F. Du, M. J. Stolt, S. Jin, M. L. Tian, and M. Poggio
Nano Letters 15, 4839 (2015)

Using dynamic cantilever magnetometry we measure an enhanced skyrmion lattice phase extending from around 29 K down to at least 0.4 K in single MnSi nanowires (NWs). Although recent experiments on two-dimensional thin films show that reduced dimensionality stabilizes the skyrmion phase, our results are surprising given that the NW dimensions are much larger than the skyrmion lattice constant. Furthermore, the stability of the phase depends on the orientation of the NWs with respect to the applied magnetic field, suggesting that an effective magnetic anisotropy, likely due to the large surface-to-volume ratio of these nanostructures, is responsible for the stabilization. The compatibility of our technique with nanometer-scale samples paves the way for future studies on the effect of confinement and surfaces on magnetic skyrmions.