Phys. Rev. B 77, 024415 (2008) [6 pages]Crystalline phases in chiral ferromagnets: Destabilization of helical orderReceived 30 July 2007; published 15 January 2008 In chiral ferromagnets, weak spin-orbit interactions twist the ferromagnetic order into spirals, leading to helical order. We investigate an extended Ginzburg-Landau theory of such systems where the helical order is destabilized in favor of crystalline phases. These crystalline phases are based on periodic arrangements of double-twist cylinders and are strongly reminiscent of blue phases in liquid crystals. We discuss the relevance of such blue phases for the phase diagram of the chiral ferromagnet MnSi. © 2008 The American Physical Society URL:
http://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevB.77.024415
DOI:
10.1103/PhysRevB.77.024415
PACS:
75.10.−b, 75.30.Kz, 75.90.+w
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