Fig. 1: Phase shift and interference patterns.
a, b Superpositions of three density waves with the wave vectors Q1, Q2, and Q3. b is the figure generated from a with the phase shift of π/2 in Q1, which breaks sixfold rotational symmetry in a. c, d superpositions of three spirals waves: the nsk = 1 skyrmion crystal (SkX1) (c) and the meron-antimeron crystal (MAX) (d). e, f Superpositions of three sinusoidal waves: the nsk = 2 skyrmion crystal (SkX2) (e) and the tetra-axial vortex crystal (TVX) (f). d, f are generated from (c) and (e), respectively, with the phase shift of Θ = π/2, and both of them break sixfold rotational symmetry similar to b. In c–f, the upper and lower planes show the spin \({{{{{{{{\bf{S}}}}}}}}}_{i}=({S}_{i}^{x},{S}_{i}^{y},{S}_{i}^{z})\) [the color scale indicates \({S}_{i}^{z}\), and the arrows indicate \(({S}_{i}^{x},{S}_{i}^{y})\)] and the scalar chirality χR, respectively. The spin textures in the magnetic unit cell are shown in the insets of c–f.
