Resonant Elastic X-Ray Scattering of Antiferromagnetic Superstructures in EuPtSi3

We report resonant elastic x-ray scattering of long-range magnetic order in EuPtSi₃, combining different scattering geometries with full linear polarization analysis to unambiguously identify magnetic scattering contributions. At low temperatures, EuPtSi₃ stabilizes type A antiferromagnetism featuring various long- wavelength modulations. For magnetic fields applied in the hard magnetic basal plane, well-defined regimes of cycloidal, conical, and fanlike superstructures may be distinguished that encompass a pocket of commensurate type A order without superstructure. For magnetic field applied along the easy axis, the phase diagram comprises the cycloidal and conical superstructures only. Highlighting the power of polarized resonant elastic x-ray scattering, our results reveal a combination of magnetic phases that suggest a highly unusual competition between antiferromagnetic exchange interactions with Dzyaloshinsky-Moriya spin-orbit coupling of similar strength.