Dresden 2026 – scientific programme

Parts | Days | Selection | Search | Updates | Downloads | Help

O: Fachverband Oberflächenphysik

O 64: Surface Magnetism

O 64.3: Talk

Wednesday, March 11, 2026, 15:45–16:00, HSZ/0403

Elliptical skyrmions in a hydrogenated Fe double-layer on Ir(110) — Timo Knispel¹, Vasily Tseplyaev^2,3, •Gustav Bihlmayer², Stefan Blügel^2,3, Thomas Michely¹, and Jeison Fischer¹ — ¹II. Physikalisches Institut, Universität zu Köln, D-50937 Köln — ²Peter Grünberg Institute (PGI-1), Forschungszentrum Jülich, D-52425 Jülich — ³Institut für Theoretische Physik, RWTH Aachen University, D-52074 Aachen

Spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscopy (SP-STM) experiments demonstrate that the magnetic ground state of two pseudomorphic Fe layers on Ir(110) is a Néel-type spin spiral with a unique sense of rotation. Employing density functional theory (DFT) calculations, we show that this spin-spiral is stabilized by frustrated exchange interactions, but the rotation direction is fixed by the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction [1]. Hydrogen adsorption on the 2Fe/Ir(110) surface significantly modifies the spin-spiral minimum, shifting it to a longer wavelength and causing it to flatten energetically out with increasing H coverage. Using DFT calculations, we can trace back this behavior to electron doping of the surface and atomistic spin-dynamics simulations show that it is possible to induce elliptic skyrmions with an external magnetic field. These spin-textures can also be observed using SP-STM with a perpendicular B-field [2].
We acknowledge funding from the CRC 1238 of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft.

[1] T. Knispel et al., Phys. Rev. B 111, L020405 (2025)

[2] T. Knispel et al., Nano Lett. 25, 14565 (2025)

Keywords: Surface magnetism; Skyrmions; Density functional theory; Spin spirals