Unravelling decoupled ferrimagnetism and Skyrmion in Manganite-Iridate perovskites

Exploring exotic magnetism due to charge transfer in perovskites with 3d and 5d hetero-species B-site ions has remained an intriguing topic with plenty of unexplained features. In this study, Ir- and Mn-based alloy and superlattice were compared and explained in terms of their in-plane and perpendicular magnetic anisotropy supported by evidence of orbital occupancy, decoupling between Mn^(4-δ)+ and Ir^(4+δ)+ contributions to ferromagnetism and the discovery of high Curie Temperature contributed by Ir^(4+δ)+ moment. Topological Hall Effect is also discovered in the superlattice case at a narrow temperature range when the long range order of Mn^(4-δ)+ moment is about to vanish, indicating magnetization switching by formation of Skyrmions. Comprehending the interplay of complex Physics involved may facilitate future design of memory devices.

In collaboration with J. Zhou, C.J. Li, X. Chi, J. R. Ng, Z. Huang, R. Guo, W.N. Lin, H. Wang, S.W. Zeng, Q. Qing, W.X. Zhou, K. Han, P. Yang, J. S. Chen, S. J. Pennycook, Y. P. Feng, T. Venkatesan