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István Kézsmárki

Publications and source records attributed to István Kézsmárki.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Formation and Magnetic Drive of 1D-Confined Topological Defect Lines in Crystals with D$_{2d}$ Symmetry

Designing and controlling topological spin textures within non-collinear magnetic backgrounds is central to the development of low-dissipation spintronic devices. Here we propose a general mechanism based on tunable magnetic anisotropy that enables the realization of one-dimensional topological defect lines embedded within intrinsic spin-spiral states of uniaxial D$_{2d}$-symmetric magnets, and is broadly applicable across diverse material platforms. Using Lorentz transmission electron microscopy and off-axis electron holography, we show that introducing in-plane magnetic anisotropy into the helical ground state stabilizes adjacent domains of conical helices with in-plane propagation vectors, sharing the same handedness but exhibit opposite net magnetization. The resulting interfacial mismatch generates confined bimeron-chains. Significantly, these defect lines are not merely induced merons; their presence is mandated by the specific D$_{2d}$ symmetry constraints inherent to the system. Applying weak magnetic fields along the conical axis drives counter-propagating motion of adjacent bimeron-chains along the helical stripes, while anisotropy-mediated confinement enables track-stable transverse drift free transport. The present work establishes a clear route to stabilize and control topological spin textures within intrinsically non-collinear magnetic states, advancing fundamental understanding and enabling low-dissipation, scalable spintronic device concepts.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

Tunable flat band on the surface of a rhombohedral kagome ferromagnet

A central goal in the exploration of kagome-based materials is the realization of a flat band that has meV bandwidth and lies close to the Fermi energy. The prevailing assumption is that band flattening originates from destructive hopping processes on the kagome lattice. We perform scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) on the layered kagome ferromagnet Fe$_3$Sn$_2$ and show that it indeed hosts a flat band near the Fermi energy, which is manifested as a sharp peak in the differential tunneling conductance. First-principles slab calculations reveal, however, that this band is flattened not by the destructive interference of intralayer hopping, but by interlayer hopping between rhombohedral-stacked kagome planes in Fe$_3$Sn$_2$, and is confined to the surface layer. This surface band, forming in the vicinity of the Brillouin zone corners $\bar{K}$ and $\bar{K'}$, exhibits rich magnetic-field dependence, including fine structure due to valley-symmetry breaking by rotated Fe moments, as well as a persistent diamagnetic shift associated with orbital magnetic moments, all reproduced by our calculations. Our results, highlighting the crucial role of layer stacking on the band structure of kagome magnets, demonstrate experimentally an alternative mechanism of generating magnetically tunable flat bands in atomically thin volumes of topological magnets.

cond-mat.str-el↗

All-optical control of antiferromagnetic domains via an inverse optical magnetoelectric effect

Antiferromagnets are a promising platform for next-generation spintronics due to their ultrafast spin dynamics and robustness to external fields. All-optical control of antiferromagnetic order is essential to fully exploit their potential in energy-efficient and high-speed spintronic and memory applications. However, optical writing of antiferromagnetic domains remains a fundamental challenge, as conventional magneto-optical techniques rely on net magnetization, which is absent in antiferromagnets. In certain multiferroic antiferromagnets, the magnetic toroidal moment provides an additional degree of freedom through its inherent magnetoelectric coupling. This coupling at higher frequencies results in the optical magnetoelectric effect (OME), which manifests as a directional asymmetry in light propagation and enables optical probing of antiferromagnetic states. Here, we demonstrate all-optical writing of antiferromagnetic domains using the inverse optical magnetoelectric effect (IOME) in ferrotoroidic LiNiPO4. The writing process is nonvolatile, non-thermal, and deterministic, driven solely by reversing the light propagation direction. This directional control arises from a strong coupling between the photon linear momentum and the magnetic toroidal moment, enabling the repeatable switching between time-reversed domains with arbitrary light polarization. Our findings establish IOME as a distinct mechanism for manipulating antiferromagnetic order, opening a new paradigm in opto-magnetism driven by photon momentum.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

All-optical stochastic switching of magnetization textures in Fe$_3$Sn$_2$

The all-optical control of magnetization at room temperature broadens the scope of applications of spin degrees-of-freedom in data storage, spintronics, and quantum computing. Topological magnetic spin structures, such as skyrmions, are of particular interest due to their particle-like properties, small size and inherent stability. Controlling skyrmion states without strong magnetic fields or large current densities would create new possibilities for their application. In this work, we utilize femtosecond optical pulses to alter the helicity of the spin configuration in dipolar skyrmions formed in the kagome magnet Fe$_3$Sn$_2$ in the absence of an external magnetic field and at room temperature. In situ Lorentz transmission electron microscopy is used to visualize the stochastic, light-induced switching process of chiral Néel caps, while the internal Bloch component of the dipolar skyrmions remain unchanged. In addition to this switching process, we observe the interconversion between type I skyrmionic and type II bubble configurations depending on the external magnetic field and illumination conditions. To corroborate the spin states and the light-induced magnetization dynamics, micromagnetic modelling and simulations of the resulting electron phase shift maps are conducted to elucidate the spin rearrangement induced by individual femtosecond optical pulses.

physics.optics↗

Lattice-commensurate skyrmion texture in a centrosymmetric breathing kagome magnet

Skyrmion lattices (SkL) in centrosymmetric materials typically have a magnetic period on the nanometer-scale, so that the coupling between magnetic superstructures and the underlying crystal lattice cannot be neglected. Here, we reveal the commensurate locking of a SkL to the atomic lattice in Gd$_3$Ru$_4$Al$_{12}$ via high-resolution resonant elastic x-ray scattering (REXS). Weak easy-plane magnetic anisotropy, demonstrated here by a combination of ferromagnetic resonance and REXS, penalizes placing a skyrmion core on a site of the atomic lattice. Under these conditions, a commensurate SkL, locked to the crystal lattice, is stable at finite temperatures -- but gives way to a competing incommensurate ground state upon cooling. We discuss the role of Umklapp-terms in the Hamiltonian for the formation of this lattice-locked state, its magnetic space group, the role of slight discommensurations, or (line) defects in the magnetic texture, and contrast our findings with the case of SkLs in noncentrosymmetric material platforms.

cond-mat.str-el↗

Non-destructive tomographic nanoscale imaging of ferroelectric domain walls

Extraordinary physical properties arise at polar interfaces in oxide materials, including the emergence of two-dimensional electron gases, sheet-superconductivity, and multiferroicity. A special type of polar interface are ferroelectric domain walls, where electronic reconstruction phenomena can be driven by bound charges. Great progress has been achieved in the characterization of such domain walls and, over the last decade, their potential for next-generation nanotechnology has become clear. Established tomography techniques, however, are either destructive or offer insufficient spatial resolution, creating a pressing demand for 3D imaging compatible with future fabrication processes. Here, we demonstrate non-destructive tomographic imaging of ferroelectric domain walls using secondary electrons. Utilizing conventional scanning electron microscopy (SEM), we reconstruct the position, orientation, and charge state of hidden domain walls at distances up to several hundreds of nanometers away from the surface. A mathematical model is derived that links the SEM intensity variations at the surface to the local domain wall properties, enabling non-destructive tomography with good noise tolerance on the timescale of seconds. Our SEM-based approach facilitates high-throughput screening of materials with functional domain walls and domain-wall-based devices, which is essential for monitoring during the production of device architectures and quality control in real-time.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

Imaging and structure analysis of ferroelectric domains, domain walls, and vortices by scanning electron diffraction

Direct electron detectors in scanning transmission electron microscopy give unprecedented possibilities for structure analysis at the nanoscale. In electronic and quantum materials, this new capability gives access to, for example, emergent chiral structures and symmetry-breaking distortions that underpin functional properties. Quantifying nanoscale structural features with statistical significance, however, is complicated by the subtleties of dynamic diffraction and coexisting contrast mechanisms, which often results in low signal-to-noise and the superposition of multiple signals that are challenging to deconvolute. Here we apply scanning electron diffraction to explore local polar distortions in the uniaxial ferroelectric Er(Mn,Ti)O$_3$. Using a custom-designed convolutional autoencoder with bespoke regularization, we demonstrate that subtle variations in the scattering signatures of ferroelectric domains, domain walls, and vortex textures can readily be disentangled with statistical significance and separated from extrinsic contributions due to, e.g., variations in specimen thickness or bending. The work demonstrates a pathway to quantitatively measure symmetry-breaking distortions across large areas, mapping structural changes at interfaces and topological structures with nanoscale spatial resolution.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

Fast non-volatile electric control of antiferromagnetic states

Electrical manipulation of antiferromagnetic states, a cornerstone of antiferromagnetic spintronics, is a great challenge, requiring novel material platforms. Here we report the full control over antiferromagnetic states by voltage pulses in the insulating Co$_3$O$_4$ spinel. We show that the strong linear magnetoelectric effect emerging in its antiferromagnetic state is fully governed by the orientation of the Néel vector. As a unique feature of Co$_3$O$_4$, the magnetoelectric energy can easily overcome the weak magnetocrystalline anisotropy, thus, the Néel vector can be manipulated on demand, either rotated smoothly or reversed suddenly, by combined electric and magnetic fields. We succeed with switching between antiferromagnetic states of opposite Néel vectors by voltage pulses within a few microsecond in macroscopic volumes. These observations render quasi-cubic antiferromagnets, like Co$_3$O$_4$, an ideal platform for the ultrafast (pico- to nanosecond) manipulation of microscopic antiferromagnetic domains and may pave the way for the realization of antiferromagnetic spintronic devices.

cond-mat.str-el↗

Large ordered moment with strong easy-plane anisotropy and vortex-domain pattern in the kagome ferromagnet Fe$_3$Sn

We report the structural and magnetic properties of high-quality bulk single crystals of the kagome ferromagnet Fe$_3$Sn. The dependence of magnetisation on the magnitude and orientation of the external field reveals strong easy-plane type uniaxial magnetic anisotropy, which shows a monotonous increase from $K_1=-0.99\times 10^6 J/m^3$ at 300\,K to $-1.23\times10^6 J/m^3$ at 2\,K. Our \textit{ab initio} electronic structure calculations yield the value of total magnetic moment of about 6.9 $μ_B$/f.u. and a magnetocrystalline anisotropy energy density of 0.406\,meV/f.u. ($1.16\times10^6 J/m^3$) both being in good agreement with the experimental values. The self-consistent DFT computations for the components of the spin/orbital moments indicate that the small difference between the saturation magnetisations measured along and perpendicular to the kagome layers results from the subtle balance between the Fe and Sn spin/orbital moments on the different sites. In zero field, magnetic force microscopy reveals micrometer-scale magnetic vortices with weakly pinned cores that vanish at $\sim$3\,T applied perpendicular to the kagome plane. Our micromagnetic simulations, using the experimentally determined value of anisotropy, well reproduce the observed vortex-domain structure. The present study, in comparison with the easy-axis ferromagnet Fe$_3$Sn$_2$, shows that varying the stacking of kagome layers provides an efficient control over magnetic anisotropy in this family of Fe-based kagome magnets.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

Magnetization reversal through an antiferromagnetic state

Magnetization reversal in ferro- and ferrimagnets is a well-known archetype of non-equilibrium processes, where the volume fractions of the oppositely magnetized domains vary and perfectly compensate each other at the coercive magnetic field. Here, we report on a fundamentally new pathway for magnetization reversal that is mediated by an antiferromagnetic state. Consequently, an atomic-scale compensation of the magnetization is realized at the coercive field, instead of the mesoscopic or macroscopic domain cancellation in canonical reversal processes. We demonstrate this unusual magnetization reversal on the Zn-doped polar magnet Fe$_2$Mo$_3$O$_8$. Hidden behind the conventional ferrimagnetic hysteresis loop, the surprising emergence of the antiferromagnetic phase at the coercive fields is disclosed by a sharp peak in the field-dependence of the electric polarization. In addition, at the magnetization reversal our THz spectroscopy studies reveal the reappearance of the magnon mode that is only present in the pristine antiferromagnetic state. According to our microscopic calculations, this unusual process is governed by the dominant intralayer coupling, strong easy-axis anisotropy and spin fluctuations, which result in a complex interplay between the ferrimagnetic and antiferromagnetic phases. Such antiferro-state-mediated reversal processes offer novel concepts for magnetization control, and may also emerge for other ferroic orders.

cond-mat.str-el↗

Resolving structural changes and symmetry lowering in spinel FeCr2S4

The cubic spinel FeCr2S4 has been receiving immense research interest because of its emergent phases and the interplay of spin, orbital and lattice degrees of freedom. Despite the intense research, several fundamental questions are yet to be answered, such as the refinement of the crystal structure in the different magnetic and orbital ordered phases. Here, using high-resolution synchrotron powder diffraction on stoichiometric crystals of FeCr2S4 we resolved the long sought-after cubic to tetragonal transition at ~65 K, reducing the lattice symmetry to I41/amd. With further lowering the temperature, at ~9 K, the crystal structure becomes polar, hence the compound becomes multiferroic. The elucidation of the lattice symmetry throughout different phases of FeCr2S4 provides a basis for the understanding this enigmatic system and also highlights the importance of structural deformation in correlated materials.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

Doping control of magnetic anisotropy for stable antiskyrmion formation in schreibersite (Fe,Ni)$_3$P with $S_4$ symmetry

Magnetic skyrmions, vortex-like topological spin textures, have attracted much interest in a wide range of research fields from fundamental physics to spintronics applications. Recently, growing attention has also been paid to antiskyrmions emerging in opposite topological charge in non-centrosymmetric magnets with $D_{2\mathrm{d}}$ or $S_4$ symmetry. In these magnets, complex interplay among anisotropic Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction, uniaxial magnetic anisotropy, and magnetic dipolar interactions generates a variety of magnetic structures. However, the relation between the stability of antiskyrmions and these magnetic interactions remains to be elucidated. In this work, we control the uniaxial magnetic anisotropy of schreibersite (Fe,Ni)$_3$P with $S_4$ symmetry by doping and investigate its impact on the stability of antiskyrmions. Our magnetometry study, supported by ferromagnetic resonance spectroscopy, shows that the variation of the Ni content and slight doping with 4$d$ transition metals considerably change the magnetic anisotropy. In particular, doping with Pd induces easy-axis anisotropy, giving rise to formation of antiskyrmions, while a temperature-induced spin reorientation is observed in a Rh-doped compound. In combination with Lorentz transmission electron microscopy and micromagnetic simulations, we quantitatively analyze the stability of antiskyrmion as functions of uniaxial anisotropy and demagnetization energy, and demonstrate that subtle balance between them is necessary to stabilize the antiskyrmions.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

Mode splitting of spin waves in magnetic nanotubes with discrete symmetries

We investigate how geometry influences spin dynamics in polygonal magnetic nanotubes. We find that lowering the rotational symmetry of nanotubes by decreasing the number of planar facets, splits an increasing number of spin-wave modes, which are doubly degenerate in cylindrical tubes. This symmetry-governed splitting is distinct form the topological one recently observed in cylindrical nanotubes. Doublet modes with half-integer or integer multiple azimuthal periods of the number of facets, split to singlet pairs with lateral standing-wave profiles of opposing mirror-plane symmetries. Furthermore, the polygonal geometry facilitates the hybridization of modes with different azimuthal periods but the same symmetry, manifested in avoided level crossings. These phenomena, unimaginable in cylindrical geometry, provide new tools to control spin dynamics on nanoscale. The presented concept can be generalized to nano-objects of versatile geometries and order parameters, offering new routes to engineer dynamic response in nanoscale devices.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

Spin liquid and ferroelectricity close to a quantum critical point in PbCuTe$_2$O$_6$

Geometrical frustration among interacting spins combined with strong quantum fluctuations destabilize long-range magnetic order in favour of more exotic states such as spin liquids. By following this guiding principle, a number of spin liquid candidate systems were identified in quasi-two-dimensional (quasi-2D) systems. For 3D, however, the situation is less favourable as quantum fluctuations are reduced and competing states become more relevant. Here we report a comprehensive study of thermodynamic, magnetic and dielectric properties on single crystalline and pressed-powder samples of PbCuTe$_2$O$_6$, a candidate material for a 3D frustrated quantum spin liquid featuring a hyperkagome lattice. Whereas the low-temperature properties of the powder samples are consistent with the recently proposed quantum spin liquid state, an even more exotic behaviour is revealed for the single crystals. These crystals show ferroelectric order at $T_{\text{FE}} \approx 1\,\text{K}$, accompanied by strong lattice distortions, and a modified magnetic response -- still consistent with a quantum spin liquid -- but with clear indications for quantum critical behaviour.

cond-mat.str-el↗

Squeezing Néel-type Magnetic Modulations by Enhanced Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction of $4d$ Electrons

In polar magnets, such as GaV$_4$S$_8$, GaV$_4$Se$_8$ and VOSe$_2$O$_5$, modulated magnetic phases namely the cycloidal and the Néel-type skyrmion lattice states were identified over extended temperature ranges, even down to zero Kelvin. Our combined small-angle neutron scattering and magnetization study shows the robustness of the Néel-type magnetic modulations also against magnetic fields up to 2 T in the polar GaMo$_4$S$_8$. In addition to the large upper critical field, enhanced spin-orbit coupling produces a variety of modulated phases with sub-10 nm periodicity and a peculiar distribution of the magnetic modulation vectors. Thus, our work demonstrates that non-centrosymmetric magnets with $4d$ and $5d$ electron systems are ideal candidates to host highly compressed magnetic spirals and skyrmions.

cond-mat.str-el↗

Phonon anomalies associated with spin reorientation in the Kagome ferromagnet Fe3Sn2

Polarization- and temperature-dependent Raman data along with theoretical simulations are presented for the Kagome ferromagnet Fe_3Sn_2. Eight out of nine expected phonon modes were identified. The experimental energies compare well with those from the simulations. The analysis of the line widths indicates relatively strong phonon-phonon coupling in the range 0.1 to 1. The temperature-dependent frequencies of three A_{1g} modes show weak anomalies at approximately 100 K. In contrast, the linewidths of all phonon modes follow the conventional exponential broadening up to room temperature except for the softest A_{1g} mode, whose width exhibits a kink close to 100 K and becomes nearly constant for T > 100 K. These features are indicative of a spin reorientation taking place in the temperature range above 100 K which might arise from spin-phonon coupling. The low-energy part of the electronic continuum in E_g symmetry depends strongly on temperature. The possible reasons include particle-hole excitation tracking the resistivity, a spin-dependent gap or spin fluctuations.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

Magnetic avalanche of non-oxide conductive domain walls

Atomically sharp domain walls (DWs) in ferroelectrics are considered as an ideal platform to realize easy-to-reconfigure nanoelectronic building blocks, created, manipulated and erased by external fields. However, conductive DWs have been exclusively observed in oxides, where DW mobility and conductivity is largely influenced by stoichiometry and defects. In contrast, we here report on conductive DWs in the non-oxide ferroelectric GaV$_4$S$_8$, where charge carriers are provided intrinsically by multivalent V$_4$ molecular clusters. We show that this new mechanism gives rise to DWs composed of nanoscale stripes with alternating electron and hole conduction, unimaginable in oxides. By exerting magnetic control on these segments we promote the mobile and effectively 2D DWs into dominating the 3D conductance, triggering abrupt conductance changes as large as eight orders of magnitude. The flexible valency, as origin of these novel hybrid DWs with giant conductivity, demonstrates that non-oxide ferroelectrics can be the source of novel phenomena beyond the realm of oxide electronics.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

Transport measurements on van der Waals heterostructures under pressure

The interlayer coupling, which has a strong influence on the properties of van der Waals heterostructures, strongly depends on the interlayer distance. Although considerable theoretical interest has been demonstrated, experiments exploiting a variable interlayer coupling on nanocircuits are scarce due to the experimental difficulties. Here, we demonstrate a novel method to tune the interlayer coupling using hydrostatic pressure by incorporating van der Waals heterostructure based nanocircuits in piston-cylinder hydrostatic pressure cells with a dedicated sample holder design. This technique opens the way to conduct transport measurements on nanodevices under pressure using up to 12 contacts without constraints on the sample at fabrication level. Using transport measurements, we demonstrate that hexagonal boron nitride capping layer provides a good protection of van der Waals heterostructures from the influence of the pressure medium, and we show experimental evidence of the influence of pressure on the interlayer coupling using weak localization measurements on a TMDC/graphene heterostructure.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗