A room temperature polar magnetic metal

The emergence of long-range magnetic order in noncentrosymmetric compounds has stimulated interest in the possibility of exotic spin transport phenomena and topologically protected spin textures for applications in next-generation spintronics. Polar magnets, with broken symmetries of spatial inversion and time reversal, usually host chiral spin textures. This work reports on a wurtzite-structure polar magnetic metal, identified as AA'-stacked (Fe0.5Co0.5)(5)GeTe2, which exhibits a Ned-type skyrmion lattice as well as a Rashba-Edelstein effect at room temperature. Atomic resolution imaging of the structure reveals a structural transition as a function of Co-substitution, leading to the emergence of the polar phase at 50% Co. This discovery reveals an unprecedented layered polar magnetic system for investigating intriguing spin topologies, and it ushers in a promising new framework for spintronics.

Automated summary

The emergence of long-range magnetic order in noncentrosymmetric compounds has led to the discovery of a polar magnetic metal with unique spin textures and spin transport phenomena. The study reveals a structural transition and the emergence of a polar phase in a wurtzite-structure polar magnetic metal, which exhibits a Ned-type skyrmion lattice and a Rashba-Edelstein effect at room temperature. This discovery provides a promising new framework for investigating intriguing spin topologies and advancing spintronics.