Spontaneous cycloidal order mediating a spin-reorientation transition in a polar metal
Spontaneous cycloidal order mediating a spin-reorientation transition in a polar metal
We show how complex modulated order can spontaneously emerge when magnetic interactions compete in a metal with polar lattice distortions. Combining neutron and resonant x-ray scattering with symmetry analysis, we reveal that the spin reorientation in ${\mathrm{Ca}}_{3}{\mathrm{Ru}}_{2}{\mathrm{O}}_{7}$ is mediated by a magnetic cycloid whose eccentricity evolves smoothly but rapidly with …