Skyrmion crystal with integer and fractional skyrmion numbers in a nonsymmorphic lattice structure with the screw axis

Abstract

The emergence of a magnetic skyrmion crystal in a nonsymmorphic lattice system with the screw symmetry is numerically investigated. By performing the simulated annealing for a layered spin model with the isotropic exchange interaction and the antisymmetric Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction, and then constructing a low-temperature phase diagram, we reveal that the skyrmion crystal is stabilized in both zero and nonzero fields even without the threefold rotational symmetry in the two-dimensional plane. We show that a competition between the ferromagnetic interlayer exchange interaction and the layer- and momentum-dependent anisotropic interactions is a source of the skyrmion crystals in the presence of the screw axis. Moreover, we find two types of layer-dependent skyrmion crystals, which are characterized as a coexisting state of the skyrmion crystal and the spiral state, in the narrow field region. Our result provides a reference in the further search for skyrmion crystals in nonsymmorphic lattice systems.