arXiv subjects

Christopher Klose

Publications and source records attributed to Christopher Klose.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Topological spin-texture transitions in van der Waals magnets revealed by X-ray Fourier transform holography

Nontrivial topological spin-textures, such as skyrmions, merons, bimerons, and skyrmioniums, are envisioned as robust building blocks for future memory and logic devices. Controllable transformations between these states require a quantum-mechanical description of electronic degrees of freedom and atomic-scale insight beyond existing phenomenological models. Here, we report an atomic-scale investigation of topological phase transitions and their protection in the two-dimensional van der Waals ferromagnet Fe$_3$GeTe$_2$ (FGT) using a combined experimental-theoretical approach. Synchrotron-based Fourier transform holography directly images labyrinth domains, isolated skyrmions, mixed labyrinth-skyrmion phases, and skyrmion bags with high spatial resolution. We compare these observations to simulations based on an electronic lattice Hamiltonian that captures both metallicity and relativistic spin-orbit coupling in FGT. By systematically exploring a broad range of temperatures and magnetic fields, we map the mechanisms governing topological transitions and their stability. This sequential-integrated experimental-theoretical framework advances understanding of spin-texture interactions and enables precise control of external tuning parameters. Our results establish a platform for creating, stabilizing, and manipulating topological states, paving the way for engineered spin-texture transitions in next-generation spintronic technologies.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2026

Emergent Chaos-Like Dynamics of Spin-Orbit Torque-Driven Magnetic Transitions

Spin-orbit torques (SOTs) are widely used to control magnetization in nanoscale electric systems and are typically assumed to drive skyrmion nucleation and motion in a deterministic manner, especially in materials with strong Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction. Here, using time-resolved holography-based x-ray microscopy supported by micromagnetic simulations, we reveal that on nano- to picosecond timescales the actual dynamics can deviate strikingly from this expectation by producing transient regimes of chaos-like behavior. By exploiting deterministic skyrmion generation at an anisotropy-engineered defect and implementing a high-resolution pump-probe scheme, we directly track the magnetization evolution in real space. This approach uncovers a dynamic phase transition that separates coherent SOT-driven motion from a regime of transient instability characterized by picosecond-scale fluctuations, strong domain disorder, topological instabilities, and skyrmion shedding, experimentally observed here for the first time. During SOT actuation, the system briefly enters this instability regime, showing short-lived chaos-like behavior, yet it reliably relaxes into robust and reproducible final states. Our results demonstrate a powerful methodology for accessing time-averaged nano- to picosecond dynamics in magnetic systems and reveal a previously hidden layer of transient, topologically rich behavior underlying nominally deterministic skyrmion control.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2025

A fluctuation-free pathway for a topological magnetic phase transition

Topological magnetic textures are particle-like spin configurations stabilized by competing interactions. Their formation is commonly attributed to fluctuation-driven, first-order nucleation processes requiring activation over a topological energy barrier. Here, we demonstrate an alternative barrier- and fluctuation-free pathway for nucleating topological magnetic textures, triggered in our experiments by an excitation-induced spin reorientation transition. By combining x-ray imaging, scattering and micromagnetic simulations, we show that the system follows a deterministic cascade of symmetry-breaking phase transitions after excitation. First, the system undergoes a second-order phase transition from a homogeneous state to weak stripe domains, then a first-order transition to topologically trivial bubbles, and finally a topological switching event into skyrmionic textures. Through simulations, we generalize our findings and demonstrate that this pathway is active in a vast range of low-anisotropy materials. This previously unrecognized, spontaneous transition pathway suggests strategies for rapid, low-energy generation of topological spin textures and points to a general role of intrinsic modulational instabilities in phase transitions beyond magnetism.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2025

Picosecond localization dynamics following ultrafast nanoscale magnetic switching

Ultrashort laser pulses provide the fastest known way to switch magnetic order. Such excitation commonly creates nanometer-scale domains, even after homogeneous illumination when the position of nucleated domains is not externally defined. However, the physics of domain localization during such ultrafast phase transitions remains unresolved. Here, we use shot-resolved pump-probe resonant x-ray scattering together with a material featuring a periodically modulated magnetic anisotropy landscape to track, in real time, the laser-driven nucleation and localization of nanometer-scale spin textures. We find that nucleation and localization are two distinct processes. Nucleation occurs homogeneously via fluctuations at early times, whereas spatially periodic structures emerge only later and, under suitable conditions, localize in less than one nanosecond. Real-space simulations show that this localization is governed by strong lateral variations in spin-texture lifetimes. Our results demonstrate that ultrafast phase-transition dynamics fundamentally differ from conventional transitions, yet still can be controlled through moderate nanometer-scale tailoring of the energy landscape.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2025

Soft-X-ray momentum microscopy of nonlinear magnon interactions below 100-nm wavelength

Magnons are quantised collective excitations of long-range ordered spins. At nanometre wavelengths, exchange interactions increasingly govern their dynamics, giving rise to a largely unexplored regime of couplings between magnons and other quasiparticles. Yet, detecting such short-wavelength spin waves has remained a key experimental challenge. Here, we introduce Magnon Momentum Microscopy (MMM) -- a quasi-elastic, resonant magnetic soft-X-ray scattering technique that directly images magnon populations across two-dimensional momentum space. Owing to its remarkable sensitivity, MMM can capture nonlinear magnon-magnon interactions over large regions of the dispersion plane. Applying MMM to the prototypical magnonic material yttrium iron garnet (YIG), we uncover a rich variety of previously unobserved nonlinear magnon interactions. With its element specificity, bulk sensitivity, as well as intrinsic access to nanometre-scale wavelengths without frequency limitation, soft-X-ray MMM establishes a powerful and versatile platform for exploring short-wavelength and nonlinear magnonics.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2023

Coherent x-ray magnetic imaging with 5 nm resolution

Soft x-ray microscopy plays an important role in modern spintronics. However, the achievable resolution of most x-ray magnetic imaging experiments is above 10 nm, limiting access to fundamental and technologically relevant length scales. Here, we demonstrate x-ray magnetic microscopy with 5 nm resolution by combining holography-assisted coherent diffractive imaging with heterodyne amplification of the weak magnetic signal. The gain in resolution and contrast allows direct access to key magnetic properties, including domain wall profiles and the position of pinning sites. The ability to detect and map such properties with photons opens new horizons for element-specific, time-resolved, and in-operando research on magnetic materials and beyond.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2022

Robust scenario for the generation of non-equilibrium topological fluctuation states

The recently discovered topological fluctuation state provides a fascinating new perspective on the ultrafast emergence of topology in condensed matter systems. However, rather little is known about the physics of this state and the origin of the topological fluctuations. Using time-resolved small-angle x-ray scattering, we observe that topological fluctuation states appear after laser excitation even if the final state does not host stable skyrmions. Simulations support these findings and reveal that the fluctuations originate from the competition between spontaneous nucleation and decay of skyrmions, consistent with Arrhenius-like activation over a potential barrier. Stable skyrmions can freeze out of such fluctuations when the effective temperature of the system relaxes faster than the decay time of the skyrmions. Our results reveal a robust scenario for the generation of topological fluctuation states, potentially enabling their study in a wide variety of magnetic systems.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2022

Photon correlation spectroscopy with heterodyne mixing based on soft-x-ray magnetic circular dichroism

Many magnetic equilibrium states and phase transitions are characterized by fluctuations. Such magnetic fluctuation can in principle be detected with scattering-based x-ray photon correlation spectroscopy (XPCS). However, in the established approach of XPCS, the magnetic scattering signal is quadratic in the magnetic scattering cross section, which results not only in often prohibitively small signals but also in a fundamental inability to detect negative correlations (anticorrelations). Here, we propose to exploit the possibility of heterodyne mixing of the magnetic signal with static charge scattering to reconstruct the first-order (linear) magnetic correlation function. We show that the first-order magnetic scattering signal reconstructed from heterodyne scattering now directly represents the underlying magnetization texture. Moreover, we suggest a practical implementation based on an absorption mask rigidly connected to the sample, which not only produces a static charge scattering signal but also eliminates the problem of drift-induced artificial decay of the correlation functions. Our method thereby significantly broadens the range of scientific questions accessible by magnetic x-ray photon correlation spectroscopy.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗