Positron Spectroscopy of Point Defects in the Skyrmion-Lattice Compound {{MnSi}}

摘要: Outstanding crystalline perfection is a key requirement for the formation of new forms electronic order in vast number widely different materials. Whereas excellent sample quality represents standard claim literature, there are, quite generally, no reliable microscopic probes to establish nature and concentration lattice defects such as voids, dislocations species point on level relevant length energy scales inherent these order. Here we report an experimental study archetypical skyrmion-lattice compound MnSi, where relate characteristic types their magnetic properties by combining positron spectroscopy with ab-initio calculations bulk measurements. We find that Mn antisite disorder broadens phase transitions lowers critical temperatures, whereas skyrmion all samples studied underlining robustness this topologically non-trivial state. Taken together, demonstrates unprecedented sensitivity studies