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Organizing of magnetic skyrmions shows several forms similar to atomic arrays of solid states.Using Lorentz transmission electron microscopy, we report the first direct observation of a stable liquid-crystalline structure of skyrmions in chiral magnet Co 8.5 Zn 7.5 Mn 4 (110) thin film, caused by magnetic anisotropy and chiral surface twist. Elongated skyrmions are oriented and periodically arranged only in the <110> directions, whereas they exhibit short-range order along the <001> directions, indicating smectic skyrmion state. In addition, skyrmions possess anisotropic interaction with opposite sign depending on the crystal orientation, in contrast to existing isotropic interaction.

Topological defects embedded in or combined with domain walls have been proposed in various systems, some of which are referred to as domain wall skyrmions or domain wall bimerons. However, the experimental observation of such topological defects remains an ongoing challenge. Here, using Lorentz transmission electron microscopy, we report the experimental discovery of domain wall bimerons in chiral magnet Co-Zn-Mn(110) thin films. By applying a magnetic field, multidomain structures develop, and simultaneously, chained or isolated bimerons arise as the localized state between the domains with the opposite in-plane components of net magnetization. The multidomain formation is attributed to magnetic anisotropy and dipolar interaction, and domain wall bimerons are stabilized by the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction. In addition, micromagnetic simulations show that domain wall bimerons appear for a wide range of conditions in chiral magnets with cubic magnetic anisotropy. Our results promote further study in various fields of physics.

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