Magnetic properties of the magnetoelectric compound Cu2OSeO3: Magnetization and77Se NMR study

Dynamical magnetoelectric phenomena of skyrmions in multiferroics

Magnetic skyrmions, nanoscopic spin vortices carrying a quantized topological number in chiral-lattice magnets, are recently attracting great research interest. Although magnetic skyrmions had been observed only in metallic chiral-lattice magnets such as B20 alloys in the early stage of the research, their realization was discovered in 2012 also in an insulating chiral-lattice magnet Cu 2 OSeO 3 $\textrm{Cu}_2\textrm{OSeO}_3$ . A characteristic of the insulating skyrmions is that they can host multiferroicity, that is, the noncollinear magnetization alignment of skyrmion induces electric polarizations in insulators with a help of the relativistic spin-orbit interaction. It was experimentally confirmed that the skyrmion phase in Cu 2 OSeO 3 $\textrm{Cu}_2\textrm{OSeO}_3$ is indeed accompanied by the spin-induced ferroelectricity. The resulting strong magnetoelectric coupling between magnetizations and electric polarizations can provide us with a means to manipulate and activate magnetic skyrmions by application of electric fields. This is in sharp contrast to skyrmions in metallic systems, which are driven through injection of electric currents. The magnetoelectric phenomena specific to the skyrmion-based multiferroics are attracting intensive research interest, and, in particular, those in dynamical regime are widely recognized as an issue of vital importance because their understanding is crucial both for fundamental science and for technical applications. In this article, we review recent studies on multiferroic properties and dynamical magnetoelectric phenomena of magnetic skyrmions in insulating chiral-lattice magnet Cu 2 OSeO 3 $\textrm{Cu}_2\textrm{OSeO}_3$ . It is argued that the multiferroic skyrmions show unique resonant excitation modes of coupled magnetizations and polarizations, so-called electromagnon excitations, which can be activated both magnetically with a microwave magnetic field and electrically with a microwave electric field. The interference between these two activation processes gives rise to peculiar phenomena in the gigahertz regime. As its representative example, we discuss a recent theoretical prediction of unprecedentedly large nonreciprocal directional dichroism of microwaves in the skyrmion phase of Cu 2 OSeO 3 $\textrm{Cu}_2\textrm{OSeO}_3$ . This phenomenon can be regarded as a one-way window effect on microwaves, that is, the extent of microwave absorption changes significantly when its incident direction is reversed. This dramatic effect was indeed observed by subsequent experiments. These studies demonstrated that the multiferroic skyrmions can be a promising building block for microwave devices.

Low-energy magnons in the chiral ferrimagnet Cu2OSeO3: A coarse-grained approach

We report a comprehensive neutron scattering study of low energy magnetic excitations in the breathing pyrochlore helimagnetic Cu₂OSeO₃. Fully documenting the four lowest energy magnetic modes that leave the ferrimagnetic configuration of the "strong tetrahedra" intact ( | ℏ ω | < 13 meV), we find gapless quadratic dispersion at the point for energies above 0.2 meV, two doublets separated by 1.6(2) meV at the R point, and a bounded continuum at the X point. Our constrained rigid spin cluster model relates these features to Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya (DM) interactions and the incommensurate helical ground state. Combining conventional spin wave theory with a spin cluster form factor accurately reproduces the measured equal time structure factor through multiple Brillouin zones. An effective spin Hamiltonian describing complex anisotropic intercluster interactions is obtained.

Dynamical magnetoelectric phenomena of multiferroic skyrmions

Magnetic skyrmions, vortex-like swirling spin textures characterized by a quantized topological invariant, realized in chiral-lattice magnets are currently attracting intense research interest. In particular, their dynamics under external fields is an issue of vital importance both for fundamental science and for technical application. Whereas observations of magnetic skyrmions has been limited to metallic magnets so far, their realization was also discovered in a chiral-lattice insulating magnet Cu2OSeO3 in 2012. Skyrmions in the insulator turned out to exhibit multiferroic nature with spin-induced ferroelectricity. Strong magnetoelectric coupling between noncollinear skyrmion spins and electric polarizations mediated by relativistic spin-orbit interaction enables us to drive motion and oscillation of magnetic skyrmions by application of electric fields instead of injection of electric currents. Insulating materials also provide an environment suitable for detection of pure spin dynamics through spectroscopic measurements owing to the absence of appreciable charge excitations. In this article, we review recent theoretical and experimental studies on multiferroic properties and dynamical magnetoelectric phenomena of magnetic skyrmions in insulators. We argue that multiferroic skyrmions show unique coupled oscillation modes of magnetizations and polarizations, so-called electromagnon excitations, which are both magnetically and electrically active, and interference between the electric and magnetic activation processes leads to peculiar magnetoelectric effects in a microwave frequency regime.

Long-wavelength helimagnetic order and skyrmion lattice phase in Cu2OSeO3

We report a long-wavelength helimagnetic superstructure in bulk samples of the ferrimagnetic insulator Cu2OSeO3. The magnetic phase diagram associated with the helimagnetic modulation inferred from small-angle neutron scattering and magnetization measurements includes a skyrmion lattice phase and is strongly reminiscent of MnSi, FeGe, and Fe(1-x)Co(x)Si, i.e., binary isostructural siblings of Cu2OSeO3 that order helimagnetically. The temperature dependence of the specific heat of Cu2OSeO3 is characteristic of nearly critical spin fluctuations at the helimagnetic transition. This provides putative evidence for effective spin currents as the origin of enhancements of the magnetodielectric response instead of atomic displacements considered so far.