Abstract
In magnetic materials showing helimagnetic orders, ``spin chirality'' is one of the key order parameters to describe their electronic properties and often induces unique physical phenomena related to its symmetry breakings. Thus, observation of its domain structure, that is, the spin-chiral domain structure, is essential to fully understand the properties of helimagnetic materials. However, such domain structures are largely uninvestigated because of a lack of technique. Here, we report spatial maps of spin-chiral domains in helimagnetic Ba${}_{0.5}$Sr${}_{1.5}$Zn${}_{2}$Fe${}_{12}$O${}_{22}$ by means of a scanning resonant x-ray microdiffraction technique using circularly polarized x rays. The use of a highly focused incident x-ray beam allows the observation of self-organizing spin-chiral domain patterns with the highest contrast ever achieved in helimagnetic materials. Our results demonstrate that the technique provides a powerful tool to investigate the spin-chiral domain structure.
Published Version
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