Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 4, 2026

Measuring Magnetically-Tuned Ferroelectric Polarization in Liquid Crystals
Published on: August 15, 2018
Smectic Liquid-Crystalline Structure of Skyrmions in Chiral Magnet Co_{8.5}Zn_{7.5}Mn_{4}(110) Thin Film
T Nagase1, M Komatsu2, Y G So2
1Department of Electrical, Electronic Engineering and Information Engineering, School of Engineering, Nagoya University, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan.
Abstract:
The organizing of magnetic skyrmions shows several forms similar to atomic arrays of solid states. Using Lorentz transmission electron microscopy, we report the first direct observation of a stable liquid-crystalline structure of skyrmions in chiral magnet Co_{8.5}Zn_{7.5}Mn_{4}(110) thin film, caused by magnetic anisotropy and chiral surface twist. Elongated skyrmions are oriented and periodically arranged only in the ⟨110⟩ directions, whereas they exhibit short-range order along the ⟨001⟩ directions, indicating a smectic skyrmion state. In addition, skyrmions possess anisotropic interaction with an opposite sign depending on the crystal orientation, in contrast to existing isotropic interaction.
More Related Videos
07:42Optimizing Magnetic Force Microscopy Resolution and Sensitivity to Visualize Nanoscale Magnetic Domains
Published on: July 20, 2022
09:06Visualizing Uniaxial-strain Manipulation of Antiferromagnetic Domains in Fe1+YTe Using a Spin-polarized Scanning Tunneling Microscope
Published on: March 24, 2019
Related Concept Videos
Valence Bond Theory
Ionic Crystal Structures
Most monatomic ions behave as charged spheres, and their attraction for ions of opposite charge is the same in every direction. Consequently, stable structures for ionic compounds result (1) when ions of one charge are surrounded by as many ions as possible of the opposite...
Metallic Solids
All metallic solids exhibit high thermal and electrical conductivity, metallic luster, and malleability....
Colors and Magnetism
When atoms or molecules absorb light at the proper frequency, their electrons are excited to higher-energy orbitals. For many main group atoms and molecules, the absorbed photons are in the ultraviolet range of the electromagnetic spectrum, which cannot be detected by the human eye. For coordination compounds, the energy difference between the d orbitals often allows photons in the visible range to be absorbed and emitted, which is seen as colors by the human...
Crystal Field Theory - Octahedral Complexes
To explain the observed behavior of transition metal complexes (such as colors), a model involving electrostatic interactions between the electrons from the ligands and the electrons in the unhybridized d orbitals of the central metal atom has been developed. This electrostatic model is crystal field theory (CFT). It helps to understand, interpret, and predict the colors, magnetic behavior, and some structures of coordination compounds of transition metals.
CFT focuses on...