Spirals and Skyrmions in two dimensional oxide heterostructures

Phys Rev Lett. 2014 Feb 14;112(6):067202. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.112.067202. Epub 2014 Feb 12.

Abstract

We construct the general free energy governing long-wavelength magnetism in two dimensional oxide heterostructures, which applies irrespective of the microscopic mechanism for magnetism. This leads, in the relevant regime of weak but non-negligible spin-orbit coupling, to a rich phase diagram containing in-plane ferromagnetic, spiral, cone, and Skyrmion lattice phases, as well as a nematic state stabilized by thermal fluctuations.