Work

Cascade of Spin Moiré Superlattices with In-Plane Field in Triangular Lattice Semimetal EuAg 4 Sb 2

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: EuAg 4 Sb 2 is a rhombohedral europium triangular lattice material that exhibits a rich phase diagram of spin moiré superlattices (SMS) and single- q magnetic phases. In this paper, we characterize the incommensurate phases accessible with a field applied in the plane with small-angle neutron scattering (SANS). A variety of phases with unusual SANS patterns are accessible with a magnetic field applied along the a and a * directions. Many of these phases can be understood to be multi- q phases. One phase in particular, ICM2b (ICM = incommensurate magnetic phase), is rather unconventional in that it is an anisotropic multi- q phase that can rotate freely within the ab -plane, dependent on the magnetic field direction and history. The stabilization of tunable multi- q incommensurate spin textures via an in-plane field sets this class of materials apart from conventional skyrmion materials. We further identify that the propagation vectors of the in-plane phases have a significant commensuration with the diameter of the smallest pocket of the Fermi surface (2 k F ). The multi/single- q nature is also correlated with the enhancement of resistivity, suggesting that a gap opens in the electron bands at q = 2 k F . We also compare with a phenomenological model of the phase diagram, which predicts several of these in-plane-field multi- q phases to host finite scalar spin chirality. The richness of phases revealed in this study hints at the frustrated nature of the incommensurate magnetism present in EuAg 4 Sb 2 and motivates further probes of these phases and the origin of the stability of spin moiré superlattices. Finally, the coupling of the multi- q nature and q = 2 k F commensuration conditions reveals the key requirements for a strong SMS transport response.

Source: ACS Nano

DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.5c18732