Magnetic Blue Phase in the Chiral Itinerant Magnet MnSi

    A. Hamann1,3, D. Lamago1,2, Th. Wolf1, H. v. Löhneysen1,3, and D. Reznik1,4

    • 1Institute of Solid State Physics, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), D-76131 Karlsruhe, Germany
    • 2Laboratoire Leon Brillouin, CEA-Saclay, F-91191 Gif sur Yvette Cedex, France
    • 3Physics Institute, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), D-76131 Karlsruhe, Germany
    • 4Department of Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309, USA

    Phys. Rev. Lett. 107, 037207 – Published 15 July, 2011

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.107.037207

    Abstract

    Chiral nematic liquid crystals sometimes form blue phases characterized by spirals twisting in different directions. By combining model calculations with neutron-scattering experiments, we show that the magnetic analogue of blue phases does form in the chiral itinerant magnet MnSi in a large part of the phase diagram. The properties of this blue phase explain a number of previously reported puzzling features of MnSi such as partial magnetic order and a two-component specific-heat and thermal-expansion anomaly at the magnetic transition.

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