Scientific Achievement
Researchers in the NEMM program found that magnetic helical phases stabilizing in a-Fe51Ge49 are nematic with dynamics observable on timescales from minutes to sub-nanoseconds, and the onset of dynamics coincides from spontaneous symmetry breaking in the confinement of the helices.
Significance and Impact
Despite nematic phases being present in a wide range of materials, this is the first experimental connection to magnetic spin textures which should trigger further scientific investigations.
Research Details
- Static and dynamic x-ray scattering measurements identified the existence of two nematic phases
- Dynamic measurements found fluctuations that exist at time scales from minutes to sub-nsec (700 ps)
- Simulations and theory calculations show that there is spontaneous symmetry breaking in the helices
Publication Details
Z. Tumbleson, S. A. Morley, E. Hollingworth, A. Singh, T. Bayaraa, N. G. Burdet, A. U. Saleheen, M. M. McCarter, D. Raftrey, R.J. Pandolfi, V. Esposito, G. L. Dakovski, F.-J. Decker, A. H. Reid, T. A. Assefa, P. Fischer, S. M. Griffin, S. D. Kevan, F. Hellman, J. J. Turner, S. Roy, Science Advances (2025).
Work was performed in the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab and used the Molecular Foundry, the Advanced Light Source, and the Linac Coherent Light Source.
