Exploration of Interfacial Skyrmion States

The presence of a surface or an interface has profound impacts not only on the electronic but also on the magnetic properties of a system. In skyrmion systems, where the phase-stabilising energy balance is very finely tuned, the surface can strongly affect the skyrmion state, even complete inverting its character. However, there are only few experimental studies of this important phenomenon, which is critical as all applications make use of surfaces and interfaces. Here, we are proposing to systematically study the effect by altering the interface. Our very successful soft x-ray scattering studies are not possible due to the absorption of the added layers. PNR is the only method that allow for a deeper look into the magnetic properties of a heterostructure.