Frustration-stabilized novel skyrmion crystals

Scientific Achievement: Spin frustration was believed to be induced only by lattice geometry or long-range interactions, but here we unveiled a novel frustrating procedure via heterostructure engineering, employing stable layers of different states at top and bottom, with the intermediate layers becoming “frustrated” and stabilizing states never seen before.

Significance and Impact: The new spin frustrating procedure reported here provides a novel knob to stabilize states that otherwise would not grow spontaneously in thin films or crystals.

DOI: 10.1038/s41535-022-00483-1

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