Complex Magnetic Phases and Unconventional Skyrmion Thermodynamics in Magnetically Intercalated Cr1+xTe2Compounds
Abstract
Chemical intercalation provides a powerful route for tuning the electronic and magnetic properties of transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), enabling the emergence of magnetic phases and phenomena that are otherwise inaccessible in their pristine forms. Here, we investigate the structural, electronic, and magnetic properties of magnetically intercalated Cr1+xTe2 through a combination of scanning tunneling microscopy, angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, magnetization, electrical transport, and Lorentz transmission electron microscopy measurements. We uncover a rich magnetic phase diagram comprising paramagnetic, in-plane spin-fluctuation, out-of-plane ferromagnetic, and field-induced Néel-type skyrmion phases. In particular, Lorentz transmission electron microscopy directly reveals the formation of Néel-type skyrmion textures slightly below the Curie temperature, with their configurations evolving strongly with temperature and magnetic field. The skyrmions exhibit pronounced thermal hysteresis and coexist with stripe domains, indicative of a complex magnetic energy landscape arising from the competition among disorder-induced local Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interactions, perpendicular magnetic anisotropy, and dipolar interactions. Our results demonstrate that chemical intercalation can profoundly reshape the magnetic interactions and phase behavior of TMDs, establishing Cr1+xTe2 as a versatile platform for exploring tunable magnetism, skyrmion physics, and unconventional thermodynamic phenomena in low-dimensional quantum materials.
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BibTeX
@misc{conner2026complex,
title = {{Complex Magnetic Phases and Unconventional Skyrmion Thermodynamics in Magnetically Intercalated Cr$_1+x$Te$_2$Compounds}},
author = {Clayton Conner and Santosh Karki Chhetri and Avinash Sah and Manoj Gadtoula and Dilan M. Gamachchi and Indeewari M. Karunarathne and Steven Kelley and Andrew C. Meng and Jacob Cook and Cheng Zhang and Jin Hu and Yue Li and Hoyeon Jeon and An-Ping Li and Zheng Gai and Guang Bian},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2610.00877},
eprint = {2610.00877},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.00877},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Complex Magnetic Phases and Unconventional Skyrmion Thermodynamics in Magnetically Intercalated Cr_1+xTe_2Compounds
AU - Clayton Conner
AU - Santosh Karki Chhetri
AU - Avinash Sah
AU - Manoj Gadtoula
AU - Dilan M. Gamachchi
AU - Indeewari M. Karunarathne
AU - Steven Kelley
AU - Andrew C. Meng
AU - Jacob Cook
AU - Cheng Zhang
AU - Jin Hu
AU - Yue Li
AU - Hoyeon Jeon
AU - An-Ping Li
AU - Zheng Gai
AU - Guang Bian
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/11
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2610.00877
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.00877
AB - Chemical intercalation provides a powerful route for tuning the electronic and magnetic properties of transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), enabling the emergence of magnetic phases and phenomena that are otherwise inaccessible in their pristine forms. Here, we investigate the structural, electronic, and magnetic properties of magnetically intercalated Cr_1+xTe_2 through a combination of scanning tunneling microscopy, angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, magnetization, electrical transport, and Lorentz transmission electron microscopy measurements. We uncover a rich magnetic phase diagram comprising paramagnetic, in-plane spin-fluctuation, out-of-plane ferromagnetic, and field-induced Néel-type skyrmion phases. In particular, Lorentz transmission electron microscopy directly reveals the formation of Néel-type skyrmion textures slightly below the Curie temperature, with their configurations evolving strongly with temperature and magnetic field. The skyrmions exhibit pronounced thermal hysteresis and coexist with stripe domains, indicative of a complex magnetic energy landscape arising from the competition among disorder-induced local Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interactions, perpendicular magnetic anisotropy, and dipolar interactions. Our results demonstrate that chemical intercalation can profoundly reshape the magnetic interactions and phase behavior of TMDs, establishing Cr_1+xTe_2 as a versatile platform for exploring tunable magnetism, skyrmion physics, and unconventional thermodynamic phenomena in low-dimensional quantum materials.
ER -