Chiral magnetism in heavy rare-earth stannide Tb3Sn7

Chiral magnetic structures are at the focus of attention from varied fields, both fundamental and applied. One example is the skyrmion lattice, which is a regular array of hedgehog-like swirls of magnetic moments. These swirls can be moved by electrical fields and can potentially be used as bits in future data storage devices. We have obtained preliminary evidence that a compound of the rare-earth metal terbium and tin, Tb3Sn7, may potentially host a chiral magnetic phase at low temperatures. We thus propose to perform powder neutron diffraction experiments at WISH to determine what the magnetic structure of Tb3Sn7 is at low temperatures, i.e. how the magnetic moments are located and ordered within the material; and whether it is chiral.