Three-dimensional tomographic imaging of skyrmionic cocoons using HERALDO

Abstract

Uncovering the rich and intricate characteristics of three-dimensional (3D) magnetic textures is essential for functional materials such as magnetic multilayers, where the delicate balance of various magnetic interactions leads to complex 3D spin arrangements. Among these textures, skyrmionic cocoons—tubular 3D magnetic structures characterized by a closed magnetization surface wrapping around a core—have emerged as particularly intriguing. Stabilized by competing magnetic interactions, these textures reside within a fraction of the thickness of the magnetic material and exhibit a typical lateral size of approximately 100 nm. Here, we present a vector tomographic reconstruction of the 3D magnetization in aperiodic Pt/Co/Al chiral multilayers, where skyrmionic cocoons have been recently reported. Using soft x-ray holography with extended reference by autocorrelation linear differential operator (HERALDO), we acquire tomographic projections of the magnetic configuration with a constant out-of-plane field and reconstruct the full 3D magnetization vector field with a spatial resolution of approximately 30 nm, as determined by Fourier shell correlation. This resolution allows us to observe critical features of the cocoons, such as their vertical misalignment. Our findings provide direct three-dimensional insight into the internal structure, vertical extent, and chirality of skyrmionic cocoons, enabled by magnetic-field-compatible vector tomography and qualitatively supported by micromagnetic simulations.

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BibTeX RIS

BibTeX

@article{chiliquingajacome2026threedimensional,
  title = {{Three-dimensional tomographic imaging of skyrmionic cocoons using HERALDO}},
  author = {Jhon Chiliquinga-Jacome and Matthieu Grelier and Riccardo Battistelli and William Bouckaert and Krishnanjana Puzhekadavil Joy and Sophie Collin and Florian Godel and Marisel Di Pietro Martínez and Claire Donnelly and Felix Büttner and Horia Popescu and Vincent Cros and Nicolas Reyren and Nicolas Jaouen},
  journal = {Physical Review B},
  year = {2026},
  month = may,
  doi = {10.1103/7tj3-byh2},
  eprint = {2601.14889},
  archivePrefix = {arXiv},
  url = {https://hal.science/hal-05764211v1},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}

RIS

TY  - JOUR
TI  - Three-dimensional tomographic imaging of skyrmionic cocoons using HERALDO
AU  - Jhon Chiliquinga-Jacome
AU  - Matthieu Grelier
AU  - Riccardo Battistelli
AU  - William Bouckaert
AU  - Krishnanjana Puzhekadavil Joy
AU  - Sophie Collin
AU  - Florian Godel
AU  - Marisel Di Pietro Martínez
AU  - Claire Donnelly
AU  - Felix Büttner
AU  - Horia Popescu
AU  - Vincent Cros
AU  - Nicolas Reyren
AU  - Nicolas Jaouen
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/05/21
JO  - Physical Review B
DO  - 10.1103/7tj3-byh2
UR  - https://hal.science/hal-05764211v1
AB  - Uncovering the rich and intricate characteristics of three-dimensional (3D) magnetic textures is essential for functional materials such as magnetic multilayers, where the delicate balance of various magnetic interactions leads to complex 3D spin arrangements. Among these textures, skyrmionic cocoons—tubular 3D magnetic structures characterized by a closed magnetization surface wrapping around a core—have emerged as particularly intriguing. Stabilized by competing magnetic interactions, these textures reside within a fraction of the thickness of the magnetic material and exhibit a typical lateral size of approximately 100 nm. Here, we present a vector tomographic reconstruction of the 3D magnetization in aperiodic Pt/Co/Al chiral multilayers, where skyrmionic cocoons have been recently reported. Using soft x-ray holography with extended reference by autocorrelation linear differential operator (HERALDO), we acquire tomographic projections of the magnetic configuration with a constant out-of-plane field and reconstruct the full 3D magnetization vector field with a spatial resolution of approximately 30 nm, as determined by Fourier shell correlation. This resolution allows us to observe critical features of the cocoons, such as their vertical misalignment. Our findings provide direct three-dimensional insight into the internal structure, vertical extent, and chirality of skyrmionic cocoons, enabled by magnetic-field-compatible vector tomography and qualitatively supported by micromagnetic simulations.
SN  - 2469-9950
SN  - 2469-9969
ER  -

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