Controlling skyrmion lattices via strain: Elongation, tilting, and collapse mechanisms

This study establishes a comprehensive framework for the three-dimensional strain control of magnetic skyrmion strings. We integrate analytical modeling, micromagnetic simulations, and in situ Lorentz transmission electron microscopy experiments to demonstrate that externally applied strain is a powerful stimuli for manipulating three-dimensional magnetic skyrmion strings. Analytical models predict that strain induces both elongation and bidirectional tilting of skyrmion strings in bulk systems, a finding corroborated by numerical simulations. These simulations further reveal that strain drives the system from fragmented multidomain states toward unified single-domain configurations and facilitates skyrmion string rupture via bobber formation at critical strain levels. The collapse of the skyrmion lattice exhibits a temperature-dependent character, shifting from first-order to second-order behavior near the critical temperature ${T}_{c}$. Reducing sample thickness significantly increases the critical strain required for annihilation due to the suppression of tilting. Experimental validation on a ${\text{Co}}_{8}{\text{Zn}}_{8.5}{\text{Mn}}_{3.5}$ sample confirms strain-induced elongation and subsequent collapse into a conical phase via void cluster formation, directly implicating strain-modulated Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction as the primary mechanism in this system, over magnetocrystalline anisotropy. These findings provide a mechanistic understanding of strain-mediated control in three-dimensional magnetic systems, demonstrating its feasibility for energy-efficient spintronic applications.