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<p>Topological spin textures are a spectacular manifestation of the chirality of the magnetic nanostructures protected by topology. Most known skyrmion systems are restricted to a topological charge of one, require an external magnetic field for stabilization, and are only reported in a few materials. Here, we investigate the possibility that the Kitaev anisotropic-exchange interaction stabilizes a higher-order skyrmion crystal in the insulating van der Waals magnet NiI<sub>2</sub>. We unveil and explain the incommensurate static and dynamic magnetic correlations across three temperature-driven magnetic phases of this compound using neutron scattering measurements, simulations, and modeling. Our parameter optimisation yields a minimal Kitaev-Heisenberg Hamiltonian for NiI<sub>2</sub> which reproduces the experimentally observed magnetic excitations. Monte Carlo simulations for this model predict the emergence of the higher-order skyrmion crystal but neutron diffraction and optical experiments in the candidate intermediate temperature regime are inconclusive. We discuss possible deviations from the Kitaev-Heisenberg model that explains our results and conclude that NiI<sub>2</sub>, in addition to multiferroic properties in the bulk and few-layer limits, is a Kitaev bulk material proximate to the finite temperature higher-order skyrmion crystal phase.</p>

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Kitaev interaction and proximate higher-order skyrmion crystal in the triangular lattice van der Waals antiferromagnet NiI2

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2026年1月31日

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  • Chaebin Kim,
  • Olivia Vilella,
  • Youjin Lee,
  • Pyeongjae Park,
  • Yeochan An,
  • Woonghee Cho,
  • Matthew B. Stone,
  • Alexander I. Kolesnikov,
  • Yiqing Hao,
  • Shinichiro Asai,
  • Shinichi Itoh,
  • Takatsugu Masuda,
  • Sakib Matin,
  • Yuna Kim,
  • Sung-Jin Kim,
  • Martin Mourigal,
  • Je-Geun Park

摘要

Topological spin textures are a spectacular manifestation of the chirality of the magnetic nanostructures protected by topology. Most known skyrmion systems are restricted to a topological charge of one, require an external magnetic field for stabilization, and are only reported in a few materials. Here, we investigate the possibility that the Kitaev anisotropic-exchange interaction stabilizes a higher-order skyrmion crystal in the insulating van der Waals magnet NiI2. We unveil and explain the incommensurate static and dynamic magnetic correlations across three temperature-driven magnetic phases of this compound using neutron scattering measurements, simulations, and modeling. Our parameter optimisation yields a minimal Kitaev-Heisenberg Hamiltonian for NiI2 which reproduces the experimentally observed magnetic excitations. Monte Carlo simulations for this model predict the emergence of the higher-order skyrmion crystal but neutron diffraction and optical experiments in the candidate intermediate temperature regime are inconclusive. We discuss possible deviations from the Kitaev-Heisenberg model that explains our results and conclude that NiI2, in addition to multiferroic properties in the bulk and few-layer limits, is a Kitaev bulk material proximate to the finite temperature higher-order skyrmion crystal phase.