Tensile deformations of the magnetic chiral soliton lattice probed by Lorentz transmission electron microscopy

Abstract

We consider the case of a chiral soliton lattice subjected to uniaxial elastic strain applied perpendicular to the chiral axis and derive through analytical modeling the phase diagram of magnetic states supported in the presence of an external magnetic field. The strain induced anisotropies give rise to three distinct nontrivial spin textures, depending on the nature of the strain, and we show how these states may be identified by their signatures in Lorentz transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Experimental TEM measurements of the Fresnel contrast in a strained sample of the prototypical monoaxial chiral helimagnet CrNb3S6 are reported and compare well with the modeled contrast. Our results demonstrate an additional degree of freedom that may be used to tailor the magnetic properties of helimagnets for fundamental research and applications in the areas of spintronics and the emerging field of strain manipulated spintronics. © 2020 American Physical Society.