IMPRS-CPQM Project

Correlation of Berry phase transport with the topological magnetic textures in Heusler compounds: From the bulk to the thin-film limit

Funding Period: 2020-2023

The magnetic spins of atoms arrange in multiple configurations, in which the simplest one gives rise to conventional magnets. However, complex configurations can arise in two and three dimensions that can be visualized as a topological swirling of the magnetic texture, setting a recent example of skyrmions.

The materials that host such features has come to the forefront of research in chemistry and physics as a potential candidate for the generation of modern technology. The Heusler compounds are one of the potential candidates due to various crystal structures and large tunability by chemical substitution, where the topological states can be easily realized. Detail experimental and theoretical investigations are necessary to realize more real space magnetic textures. It is thus the goal of this project to utilize and further develop advanced spatial imaging techniques in transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and holography to characterize the magnetic structures of both bulk single crystals and thin film [3]. The student will conduct the TEM investigations, shall reconstruct the 3D magnetic structure of the samples from the experimentally obtained images, and conduct micromagnetic simulations in order to interpret the results. In collaboration with groups at the MPI-CPFS, the findings shall be correlated with the transport properties of the investigated materials. The project will be a joint effort of the TU Dresden, the MPI-CPFS, and the IFW Dresden.