RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science Electronic States Microscopy Research Team

Team Leader: Xiuzhen Yu (Ph.D.)

Japanese Page

Research Summary

Our team is working on the real-space observation of electron structures or topological electron-spin textures (skyrmion) and their dynamics in strong-correlation systems by means of atomic-resolution electron microscopy. We will use various microscopy techniques, such as the in-situ imaging technique, differential phase contrast microscopy, electron energy-loss spectroscopy, and energy dispersive spectroscopy, etc., to explore the electron structures and their dynamical phase transitions or phase separations. We also use these powerful tools to quantitatively characterize the nanometric magnetic and electric fields in topological matters to exploit emergent phenomena.

Main Research Fields

Mathematical & Physical Sciences

Related Research Fields

Complex Systems
Engineering

Keywords

Magnetic skyrmion
Microscopy
Atomic-level characterization of electronic states
Microfabrication
Spintronics

Selected Publications

1.Yu, X. Z., Koshibae, W., Tokunaga, Y., Shibata, K., Taguchi, Y., Nagaosa, N., Tokura, Y.:
"Transformation between meron and skyrmion topological spin textures in a chiral magnet"
Nature., 564, 95–98 (2018)
2.Yu, X. Z., Morikawa, D., Yokouchi, T., Shibata, K., Kanazawa N., Kagawa, F., Arima T., Tokura., Y.:
"Aggregation and collapse dynamics of skyrmions in a non-equilibrium state"
Nature Physics., 14, 832–836 (2018)
3.Yu, X.Z., Morikawa, D., Tokunaga, Y., Kubota, M., Kurumaji, T., Oike, H., Nakamura, M., Kagawa, F., Taguchi, Y., Arima, T., Kawasaki, M., Tokura, Y.:
"Current-induced nucleation and annihilation of magnetic skyrmions at room temperature in a chiral magnet"
Adv. Mater.,　29, 1606178 (2017).
4.Yu, X.Z., Tokunaga, Y., Kaneko, Y., Zhang, W.Z., Kimoto, K., Matsui, Y., Taguchi, Y., Tokura, Y.:
"Biskyrmion states and their current-driven motion in a layered manganite"
Nature Commun, 5:3198 (2014).
5.Mochizuki, M., Yu, X. Z., Seki, S., Kanazawa, N., Koshibae, W., Zang, J., Mostovoy, M., Tokura, Y., Nagaosa, N.:
"Thermally Driven Ratchet Motion of Skyrmion Microcrystal and Topological Magnon Hall Effect"
Nature Materials, 13, 241 (2014).
6.Park, H. S., Yu, X.Z., Aizawa, S., Tanigaki, T., Akashi, T., Takahashi, Y., Matsuda, T., Kanazawa, N., Onose, Y., Shindo, D., Tonomura, A., Tokura. Y.:
"Observation of the magnetic flux and three-dimensional structure of skyrmion lattices by electron holography"
Nature Nanotech, 9, 337 (2014).
7.Yu, X. Z., Kanazawa, N., Zhang, W. Z., Nagai, T., Hara, T., Kimoto, K., Matsui, Y., Onose, Y., Tokura, Y.:
"Skyrmion flow near room temperature in an ultra-low current density"
Nature Commun, 3:988 (2012).
8.Yu, X. Z., Kanazawa, N., Onose, Y., Kimoto, K., Zhang, W. Z., Ishiwata, S., Matsui, Y., Tokura, Y.:
"Near room-temperature formation of a skyrmion crystal in thin-films of the helimagnet FeGe"
Nature Materials, 10, 106 (2011).
9.Yu, X. Z., Onose, Y., Kanazawa, N., Park, J. H., Han, J. H., Matsui, Y., Nagaosa, N., Tokura, Y.:
"Real-space observation of two-dimensional skyrmion crystal"
Nature, 465, 901 (2010).
10.Yu, X. Z., Mathieu, R., Arima, T., Kaneko, Y., He, J. P., Uchida, M., Asaka, T., Nagai, T., Kimoto, K., Matsui, Y., Tokura, Y.:
"Variation of charge/orbital ordering in layered manganites Pr1-xCa1+xMnO4 as investigated by transmission-electron-microscopy"
Phys. Rev. B, 75, 174441 (2007).