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Abstract:
The Skyrme-particle, the skyrmion, was introduced over half a century
ago in the context of dense nuclear matter. But with skyrmions being
mathematical objects-special types of topological solitons-they can
emerge in much broader contexts. Recently skyrmions were observed in
helimagnets, forming nanoscale spin-textures. Extending over length
scales much larger than the interatomic spacing, they behave as large,
classical objects, yet deep inside they are of quantum nature.
Penetrating into their microscopic roots requires a multi-scale
approach, spanning the full quantum to classical domain. Here, we
achieve this for the first time in the skyrmionic Mott insulator
Cu2OSeO3. We show that its magnetic building blocks are strongly
fluctuating Cu-4 tetrahedra, spawning a continuum theory that culminates
in 51nm large skyrmions, in striking agreement with experiment. One of
the further predictions that ensues is the temperature-dependent decay
of skyrmions into half-skyrmions.
