Tuning the structure of Skyrmion lattice system Cu2OSeO3 under pressure

Abstract

The insulating ferrimagnet Cu2OSeO3 shows a rich variety of phases such as skyrmion lattice and helical magnetism controlled by interplay of different exchange interactions which can be tuned by external pressure. In this work we have investigated pressure-induced phase transitions at room temperature using synchrotron based x- ray diffraction and Raman scattering measurements. With first-principles theoretical analysis, we show that spin-spin exchange couplings in the ambient cubic phase are affected notably by hydrostatic pressure. The ambient cubic phase transforms to a monoclinic phase above 7 GPa and then to the triclinic phase above 11 GPa. Emergence of new phonon modes in the Raman spectra confirms these structural phase transitions. Notably, upon decompression, the crystal undergoes transition to a new monoclinic structure. Atomic coordinates have been refined in the low pressure cubic phase to capture the Cu-tetrahedra evolution responsible for the earlier reported magnetic behavior under pressure. Our experiments will motivate further studies of its emergent magnetic behavior under pressure.