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Metastability of the Skyrmion Lattice in GdRu2Si2 Revealed by Ultrasound

J. Sourd1, D. A. Mayoh2, G. Balakrishnan2, J. Wosnitza1,3, and S. Zherlitsyn1

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Phys. Rev. Lett. 137, 066703 – Published 7 August, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/1nhc-ds19

Abstract

We report on the low-temperature magnetoelastic properties of the skyrmion-lattice compound GdRu2Si2 under magnetic fields applied along the [001] axis. Our sound-velocity measurements reveal a series of pronounced anomalies related to the skyrmion-lattice phase. The emergence of hysteresis and steplike features indicates intrinsic metastability of the skyrmion lattice in GdRu2Si2, deviating from other skyrmion-lattice compounds. Analysis of multiple elastic modes allows us to disentangle the compressional and shear responses, with the latter showing a stronger sensitivity to the metastability of the skyrmion lattice.

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Phys. Rev. Lett. 137, 066703– Published 7 August, 2026
  • Received 31 January 2026
  • Accepted 29 June 2026
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Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article’s title, journal citation, and DOI.

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