title: The quantum nature of skyrmions and half-skyrmions in Cu2OSeO3.
abstract: The Skyrme-particle, the skyrmion, was introduced over half a century ago in the context of dense nuclear matter. But with skyrmions being mathematical objects--special types of topological solitons--they can emerge in much broader contexts. Recently skyrmions were observed in helimagnets, forming nanoscale spin-textures. Extending over length scales much larger than the interatomic spacing, they behave as large, classical objects, yet deep inside they are of quantum nature. Penetrating into their microscopic roots requires a multi-scale approach, spanning the full quantum to classical domain. Here, we achieve this for the first time in the skyrmionic Mott insulator Cu2OSeO3. We show that its magnetic building blocks are strongly fluctuating Cu4 tetrahedra, spawning a continuum theory that culminates in 51 nm large skyrmions, in striking agreement with experiment. One of the further predictions that ensues is the temperature-dependent decay of skyrmions into half-skyrmions.
authors.affiliation: 1] Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids, D-01087 Dresden, Germany [2] National Institute of Chemical Physics and Biophysics, EE-12618 Tallinn, Estonia.
authors.forename: Oleg
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Janson
authors.affiliation: Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research, IFW D-01069 Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: Ioannis
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Rousochatzakis
authors.affiliation: 1] Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids, D-01087 Dresden, Germany [2] National Institute of Chemical Physics and Biophysics, EE-12618 Tallinn, Estonia.
authors.forename: Alexander A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Tsirlin
authors.affiliation: Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research, IFW D-01069 Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: Marilena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Belesi
authors.affiliation: Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research, IFW D-01069 Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: Andrei A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Leonov
authors.affiliation: Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research, IFW D-01069 Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: Ulrich K
authors.initials: UK
authors.lastname: Rößler
authors.affiliation: 1] Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research, IFW D-01069 Dresden, Germany [2] Department of Physics, TU Dresden, D-01062 Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: Jeroen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: van den Brink
authors.affiliation: Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids, D-01087 Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: Helge
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Rosner