Please, cite original work as: B.M.

Tanygin, Magnetic symmetry based definition of the chirality in the magnetically ordered media, Physica B: Physics of Condensed Matter 406 (2011), pp. 3423-3424 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.physb.2011.06.012 e-mail: b.m.tanygin@gmail.com Web: http://sites.google.com/site/btanygin/

Magnetic symmetry based denition of the chirality in the magnetically ordered media
B. M. Tanygin
Kyiv Taras Shevchenko National University, Radiophysics Faculty, Glushkov av.4g, Kyiv, Ukraine, MSP 01601

Abstract Dierent denitions of the chirality have been considered for their applications to the micromagnetic structures. It was suggested to use magnetic symmetry based Barron chirality denition. The Barron chirality was obtained for all magnetic domain walls as the example. The symmetry based classication of the domain walls has been used for the chirality determination. Keywords: Enantiomorphism, Barron chirality, Kelvin chirality, magnetically ordered medium, domain wall symmetry 1. Introduction Chiral magnets investigations progress is caused by their usage in spintronics [1]. The term chirality was dened rst time by Lord Kelvin [2]. It is obvious that this parameter is widely using in all branches of the applied science. In case of the magnetic symmetry, the problems of the denition of chirality have been formulated in conception of the complete symmetry by I.S. Zheludev [3] and investigations of L.D. Barron [4]. The latter showed that in case of the systems with motion (magnetically ordered media) the different types of the enantiomorphism exist regarding time direction parity. So, time-invariant and time-noninvariant enantiomorphism should be considered separately [5]. The dierence between Barron and Kelvin denition is appearing of two sub-types of enantiomorphic objects. The time-noninvariant
Email address: b.m.tanygin@gmail.com (B. M. Tanygin)

Preprint submitted to Physica B: Condensed Matter

July 11, 2011

enantiomorphism was called as the false chirality in contrast to the timeinvariant one (true chirality) [6]. Frustrated magnets have specic chirality denitions: vector [7] and scalar [8] chirality. These denitions do not coincide with Kelvin one. The vector chirality denition is widely used for the cycloid noncolinear magnetic ordering [1]. Rotation of the cycloid around two-fold symmetry axis transforms right cycloid into the left. So, such type of the magnetic ordering (chiral cycloidal ordering) is achiral in scope of the Kelvin denition. This ambiguity was considered in [9]. Consequently, the application of the chirality denition to the micromagnetic structures introduces some kind of contradictions. Denition of the chirality in magnetically ordered media should be harmonized with geometric denition to use the same formal language in dierent branches of the applied science. For example, stereochemistry and condensed matter physics can be related in material synthesis. The problems with chirality denition can appear, for example, in case of the synthesis of the chiral material. Thus, the suggestion of the unied denition of the chirality for magnetically ordered media is the purpose of this work. 2. Symmetry based enantiomorphism The unied approach of any type of denition means using of some type of the formal theory. In case of the enantiomorphism denition the author suggestion is to use the magnetic symmetry systematization as basis for enantiomorphism determination. Let us choose such constructive example as enantiomorphism denition of the magnetic domain walls (DWs). The DW has enantiomorphism if its magnetic point group Gk [10] does not contain symmetry transformations n, where n is positive integer, i.e. symmetry should not include spatial inversion combined with any kind of rotations. If group Gk contains symmetry transformation n then DW enan tiomorphism is time-noninvariant. Otherwise, it is time-invariant. Symmetry classication of the magnetic 180 DWs have been presented in [11]. Extension of this classication to the any type of DW (including 0 DW [12]) have been provided in [10]. Complete set of magnetic DW classes contains 64 ones (1 <= k <= 64), including 42 classes (1 <= k <= 42) of 180 DW, 10 classes(7 <= k <= 13, 16 <= k <= 18) of DWs with noncolinear domain magnetizations

(2 DW) and 42 classes (k = 2, 6 <= k <= 13, 16 <= k <= 19, k = 22, 24, 26, 30, 32, 37, 39, 43 <= k <= 64) of 0 DW. The distribution of symmetry classes of 180 DW between enantiomorphism types is following: time-invariant enantiomorphism (true chirality): 2x 2y 2z (Bloch DW with center [10]), 2z (Bloch DW without center), 2x , 2y , 1, 2z , 2x 2y 2z , 3z , 3z 2x , 4z , 4z 2x 2xy , 6z , 6z 2x 2y ; time-noninvariant enantiomorphism (false chirality): mx (The N eel wall without center), 2y /my , 1 , mx mz 2y , mz , 2z /mz , mx my 2z , mx my mz , 6z , 3z mx , 6z my 2x , 3 z mx , 4z /mz , 4z mx mxy , 4z /mz mx mxy , 4z , 4z 2x mxy , 6z /mz , 6z mx my , 6z /mz mx my , 3z ; non-enantiomorphic (achiral) DWs: mx mz my , m y mx 2 z , mx mz 2y , 2x /mx , 2z /mz , my , mz my 2x (The N eel wall with center), mz , where Z axis is directed along DW plane normal The same distribution for 2 DW: time-invariant enantiomorphism (true chirality): 2x 2y 2z (Bloch DW with center), 2z (Bloch DW without center), 2x , 2y , 1; time-noninvariant enantiomorphism (false chirality): mx (The N eel wall without center), mx mz 2y , mz ; non-enantiomorphic (achiral) DWs: mz my 2x (The N eel wall with center), mz . The same distribution for 0 DW: time-invariant enantiomorphism (true chirality): 2x 2y 2z (Bloch DW with center), 2z (Bloch DW without center), 2x , 2y , 1, 2z , 3z , 4z , 6z , 2z 2 x 2 y , 3z 2x , 4z 2x 2y , 6z 2x 2y ; time-noninvariant enantiomorphism (false chirality): mx (The N eel wall without center), mx mz 2y , mz , mx my 2z , 3z mx , 4z mx mxy , 6z mx my ; non-enantiomorphic (achiral) DWs: m y mx 2 z , my , mz my 2x (The N eel wall with center), mz , my mx mz , my mz 2x , 2y /my , 1, 2z /mz , mz mx my , 6z , 6z my 2x , 3z mx , 4z /mz , 4z /mz mx mxy , 4z , 4z 2x mxy , 6z /mz , 6z /mz mx my , 3z , 2z /mz (Bloch DW with center), 2x /mx (The N eel wall with center). 3

The important dierence between 0 DW and other types of DW is existence of the Bloch DW without enantiomorphism. The correspondence between DW symmetry classes and types of magnetization distribution is presented in [11] and [10]. 3. Discussion Magnetic symmetry class of the DW is a sub-group of magnetic symmetry class G of the crystal paramagnetic phase [10]. Inuence of the crystal p sample shape on the micromagnetic structure (for example via dipole-dipole interaction) and all macroscopic properties of the DW (Neumann principle) means that real paramagnetic phase class must include only elements presented in class GS of crystal sample shape (Curie principle). Let us introduce symmetry class of spatially restricted crystal in paramagnetic phase [14]: Gp = G GS p (1)

In case of the (hkl) lm or plate the class of crystal sample shape is given by: [hkl] /mmm1 . In arbitrary magnetically ordered medium sample the class of the DW must satisfy the following requirement: Gk G GS G p p (2)

Also, class Gk depends on the domains magnetizations [11], DW plane orientation [10], magnetization distribution [11] and electrical polarization [13] in the DW volume. All these factors are taking into account automatically in the symmetry based analysis [11]. If Gp has time-invariant enantiomorphism then all DWs of this material have the same enantiomorphism. If Gp has time-noninvariant enantiomorphism then DWs can have either time-invariant or time-noninvariant enantiomorphism. If Gp is non-enantiomorphic then DW can have any kind of enantiomorphism. The DW with time-invariant enantiomorphism can appear in any magnetic material. The whole discussed theory can be generalized to the weak ferromagnetics with non-collinear magnetic ordering as well as to the antiferromagnetics using algorithms specied in [15] and [11] respectively. Also, presented here symmetry classication automatically covers the structural changes caused by the DW motion [11].

Presented here symmetry based classication of the magnetic DW enantiomorphism is connected with dierent types of magnetoelectric eects as it was shown in: [16], [9] and [17]. 4. Conclusions Thus, the symmetry based classication is an approach to the formal determination of the Kelvin or Barron enantiomorphism. It was shown for all magnetic domain walls as example. All 64 magnetic point groups of the DWs have been distributed between time-invariant enantiomorphic, timenoninvariant enantiomorphic and non-enantiomorphic types. 5. Acknowledgements I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my supervisor Prof. V.F. Kovalenko for his outstanding guidance, to my wife D.M. Tanygina for spell checking, to Dr. A.P. Pyatakov for helpful discussion of exomagnetoelectric eects and to Dr. O.V. Tychko for valuable support in scientic methodology. References [1] M. Bode, M. Heide, K. von Bergmann et al., Nature 447 (2007) 190. [2] Lord Kelvin, Baltimore Lectures on Molecular Dynamics and the Wave Theory of Light, in C.J. Clay and Sons (Eds.), Cambridge University Press Warehouse, London 1904, Appendix H. 22, footnote p. 619. [3] I.S. Zheludev, Soviet Physics Crystallography 5(1960)508. [4] L. D. Barron, Nature 405 (2000) 895. [5] L. D. Barron, New developments in molecular chirality, Kluwer Acad. Publishers, Dordrecht, 1991. [6] L. D. Barron, True and false chirality and absolute asymmetric synthesis, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 108 (1986) 5539. [7] D. Grohol, K. Matan, J.-H. Cho et al., Nature Materials 4 (2005) 323. [8] D. A. Rabson, S. A. Trugman, J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 7 (1995) 9005. 5

[9] B. M. Tanygin, J. Magn. Magn. Mater 323 (2011) 616. [10] B. M. Tanygin, O. V. Tychko, Phys. B: Condens. Matter 404 (2009) 4018. [11] V. G. Baryakhtar, V. A. Lvov, D. A. Yablonskiy, JETP 87 (1984) 1863. [12] R. Vakhitov, A. Yumaguzin, J. Magn. Magn. Mater. 52 (2000) 215. [13] V.G. Baryakhtar, V.A. Lvov, D.A. Yablonskiy, Theory of electric polarization of domain boundaries in magnetically ordered crystals, in: A. M. Prokhorov, A. S. Prokhorov (Eds.), Problems in solid-state physics, Chapter 2, Mir Publishers, Moscow, 1984, pp. 56-80. [14] B. M. Tanygin, O. V. Tychko, Acta Physic. Pol. A. 117 (2010) 214. [15] V.G. Baryakhtar, E.V. Gomonaj, V.A. Lvov, Preprint/Inst. for Theor. Phys. ITP-93-66E, Kiev, 1993. [16] B. M. Tanygin, IOP Conf. Ser.: Mater. Sci. Eng. 15 (2010) 012073. [17] B. M. Tanygin, J. Magn. Magn. Mater 323 (2011) 1899.