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    Controlling skyrmion lattices via strain: Elongation, tilting, and collapse mechanisms

    Haijun Zhao1,2,*, Tae-Hoon Kim2,†, Lin Zhou2,3, and Liqin Ke2,3,‡

    • *Contact author: haijunzhao@seu.edu.cn
    • †Present address: Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 61186, Republic of Korea.
    • ‡Contact author: liqin.ke@virginia.edu

    Phys. Rev. B 112, 214417 – Published 8 December, 2025

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/d6f2-65rh

    Abstract

    This study establishes a comprehensive framework for the three-dimensional strain control of magnetic skyrmion strings. We integrate analytical modeling, micromagnetic simulations, and in situ Lorentz transmission electron microscopy experiments to demonstrate that externally applied strain is a powerful stimuli for manipulating three-dimensional magnetic skyrmion strings. Analytical models predict that strain induces both elongation and bidirectional tilting of skyrmion strings in bulk systems, a finding corroborated by numerical simulations. These simulations further reveal that strain drives the system from fragmented multidomain states toward unified single-domain configurations and facilitates skyrmion string rupture via bobber formation at critical strain levels. The collapse of the skyrmion lattice exhibits a temperature-dependent character, shifting from first-order to second-order behavior near the critical temperature Tc. Reducing sample thickness significantly increases the critical strain required for annihilation due to the suppression of tilting. Experimental validation on a Co8Zn8.5Mn3.5 sample confirms strain-induced elongation and subsequent collapse into a conical phase via void cluster formation, directly implicating strain-modulated Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction as the primary mechanism in this system, over magnetocrystalline anisotropy. These findings provide a mechanistic understanding of strain-mediated control in three-dimensional magnetic systems, demonstrating its feasibility for energy-efficient spintronic applications.

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