Topological Hall effect in antiferromagnetically coupled SrRuO3/La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 epitaxial heterostructures

Interaction of conduction electrons with non-coplanar or non-collinear spin textures in metals can result in intriguing phenomena, among which a topological Hall effect. Here, we report on topological Hall effect manifestation in epitaxial heterostructures of thin metallic layers of two prototypical ferromagnetic oxides, namely SrRuO3 and La0.7Sr0.3MnO3. The topological Hall effect arises most likely from the non-coplanar ordering of the Ru and Mn magnetic moments in the individual ferromagnetic layers, which exhibit different magnetocrystalline anisotropies and a strong antiferromagnetic interlayer-coupling.