Chiral Domain Walls Research Articles

Decoupling the influences of chiral damping and Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction in chiral magnetic domain walls

We revisit the nature and impact of both the chiral damping (CD) and Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI) in uniaxial chiral ferromagnetic nanowires with broken inversion symmetry. We propose that CD, akin to its chiral energy counterpart (DMI), can be described in terms of the Lifshitz invariants permissible by the underlying symmetry of the system. This representation offers a clearer foundation for integrating CD into the dynamics of various chiral magnetic textures. We theoretically investigate the current-induced motion of chiral domain walls (DWs), driven by both spin-transfer torque and the spin Hall effect in the presence of CD. We demonstrate that it is possible to unambiguously separate the influence of CD from that of DMI by analyzing the current-induced dynamics. In particular, below the Walker breakdown (WB), the DMI does not affect the DW velocity, whereas increases in the strength of CD result in a decrease in the DW velocity. Moreover, for the spin-orbit torque driven motion, while the DMI enhances both the WB current density and the maximum attainable velocity below the WB, the CD only enhances the WB without affecting the maximum attainable velocity below the WB. Our findings open up intriguing opportunities for exploitation in exotic magnetic textures. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Temperature and medium structurization effect on spontaneous evolution of domains and bubbles in magnetic nanostructures

Spontaneous evolutions of domains in magnetic nanowires and of magnetic bubbles in open ferromagnetic nanolayers are investigated using micromagnetic simulations. We compare temperature dependent dynamics of domain wall (DW) systems in Permalloy (Py) nanowires and systems of chiral DWs in ultra-thin nanowires with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) and Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI). In Py nanowires DWs collide and, in majority of cases, the collision leads to the DW annihilation in disagreement with the expectation of topological protection of sums of all the magnetic charges attached to the nanowire edges which are carried by DWs. For our purpose of discussing the DW collision in the presence of thermal excitations, we revisit the problem of field-driven collisions of DWs in Py nanowires at zero temperature. We claim that thermal fluctuations can counteract the collision-induced annihilation of DWs, thought further improvement of stabilization of domain structures is achievable via structurization of the magnetic nanowires (dividing them into grains). In PMA-DMI nanowires, thermally-excited chiral DWs can be randomly approaching or moving away while not being annihilated. A problem related to the motion of chiral DWs is the spontaneous motion of magnetic bubbles in open PMA-DMI planes. The magnetic bubbles expand or shrink to vanishing dependent on strength of the DMI interaction. Such a motion appears to be be strongly influenced by temperature and by structural discontinuities of the magnetic layer.

Dynamic Manipulation of Chiral Domain Wall Spacing for Advanced Spintronic Memory and Logic Devices.

Nanoscopic magnetic domain walls (DWs), via their absence or presence, enable highly interesting binary data bits. The current-controlled, high-speed, synchronous motion of sequences of chiral DWs in magnetic nanoconduits induced by current pulses makes possible high-performance spintronic memory and logic devices. The closer the spacing between neighboring DWs in an individual conduit or nanowire, the higher the data density of the device, but at the same time, the more difficult it is to read the bits. Here, we show how the DW spacing can be dynamically varied to facilitate reading for otherwise closely packed bits. In the first method, the current density is increased in portions of the conduit that, thereby, locally speeds up the DWs, decompressing them and making them easier to read. In the second method, a localized bias current is used to compress and decompress the DW spacing. Both of these methods are demonstrated experimentally and validated by micromagnetic simulations. DW compression and decompression rates as high as 88% are shown. These methods can increase the density with which DWs can be packed in future DW-based spintronic devices by more than an order of magnitude.

Size-Dependence and High Temperature Stability of Radial Vortex Magnetic Textures Imprinted by Superconductor Stray Fields.

Swirling spin textures, including topologically nontrivial states, such as skyrmions, chiral domain walls, and magnetic vortices, have garnered significant attention within the scientific community due to their appeal from both fundamental and applied points of view. However, their creation, controlled manipulation, and stability are typically constrained to certain systems with specific crystallographic symmetries, bulk or interface interactions, and/or a precise stacking sequence of materials. Recently, a new approach has shown potential for the imprint of magnetic radial vortices in soft ferromagnetic compounds making use of the stray field of YBa2Cu3O7-δ superconducting microstructures in ferromagnet/superconductor (FM/SC) hybrids at temperatures below the superconducting transition temperature (TC). Here, we explore the lower size limit for the imprint of magnetic radial vortices in square and disc shaped structures as well as the persistence of these spin textures above TC, with magnetic domains retaining partial memory. Structures with circular geometry and with FM patterned to smaller radius than the superconductor island facilitate the imprinting of magnetic radial vortices and improve their stability above TC, in contrast to square structures where the presence of magnetic domains increases the dipolar energy. Micromagnetic modeling coupled with a SC field model reveals that the stabilization mechanism above TC is mediated by microstructural defects. Superconducting control of swirling spin textures, and their stabilization above the superconducting transition temperature by means of defect engineering holds promising prospects for shaping superconducting spintronics based on magnetic textures.

Electric manipulation of the magnetization in heterostructure Pt/Co/Bi2Se3

Spin–orbit torque (SOT) can provide efficient electrical manipulation of magnetism via applying electrical current to breaking the symmetry of damping-like torque. In the heterojunction of heavy and ferromagnetic metal, Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction (DMI) is one of the key ingredients for stabilizing chiral spin structures, like chiral domain walls. Meanwhile, materials with larger charge-spin conversion rates are also highly expected for the efficient SOT. In this paper, spin–orbit torque magnetic switching is observed in the perpendicularly magnetized Pt/Co/Bi2Se3 and shows relatively high efficiency with low critical switching current density of about 5 × 105 A cm−2. The SOT efficiency and DMI in perpendicularly magnetized Pt/Co/Bi2Se3 were quantitatively investigated by electrical detection of the effective spin Hall field. The DMI constant is about 2.6 mJ m−2, and the effective spin Hall angle of Pt/Co/Bi2Se3 is about 0.14. The work also demonstrates that the Bi2Se3 layer takes the main responsibility for SOT, and the Pt/Co interface is the main source of DMI in Pt/Co/Bi2Se3 structures, which makes it possible to achieve independent optimization of DMI and SOT in the Pt/Co/Bi2Se3 structure at room temperature for the advanced application of spintronic devices.

Dynamics of chiral domain walls in bent cylindrical magnetic nanowires

Cylindrical magnetic nanowires (NWs) constitute a viable component of 3D nanoscale magnetic devices and engineering their response to external stimuli is necessary for their future functionalization. Here, by means of micromagnetic simulations, we study the dynamical response of vortex–antivortex and Bloch point domain walls under the action of an applied magnetic field in curved arc-shaped NWs varying the saturation magnetization value. Our results provide evidence that, in the range considered in this work, the curvature has no influence on the critical diameters, delimiting different domain wall types. However, it has a relevant effect on the domain wall dynamics. Specifically, the vortex–antivortex domain wall oscillates back and forth while rotating around the nanowire, and the frequency and amplitude can be tuned by curvature and applied field. On the contrary, Bloch point domain wall dynamics does not show any oscillatory behavior, and the domain wall is rapidly expelled from the nanowire with velocities similar to that of the straight cylindrical nanowires. These results allow engineering magnetic response of cylindrical nanowires with curvature.

Strain-tunable ferromagnetism and skyrmions in two-dimensional Janus Cr2XYTe6 (X, Y = Si, Ge, Sn, and X≠Y) monolayers

By using first-principles calculations and micromagnetic simulations, we investigate the electronic structure, magnetic properties, and skyrmions in two-dimensional Janus Cr2XYTe6 (X,Y = Si, Ge, Sn, X ≠ Y) monolayers. Our findings reveal that the Cr2XYTe6 monolayers are ferromagnetic semiconductors with a high Curie temperature (Tc). The bandgap and Tc can be further increased by applying tensile strain. In addition, there is a transition from the ferromagnetic to the antiferromagnetic state at a compressive strain. Both Cr2SiSnTe6 and Cr2SiGeTe6 exhibit a large magnetic anisotropy energy, which are mainly associated with the significant spin–orbit coupling of the nonmagnetic Te atoms rather than that of the magnetic Cr atoms. Interestingly, the Cr2SiSnTe6 monolayer exhibits a significant Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction of 1.12 meV, which facilitates the formation of chiral domain walls and skyrmions. Furthermore, under tensile strain, chiral DWs can be transformed into skyrmions if applying an external magnetic field. These findings suggest that Janus Cr2XYTe6 monolayers hold promise for spintronic nanodevice applications.

Dissipationless layertronics in axion insulator MnBi2Te4.

Surface electrons in axion insulators are endowed with a topological layer degree of freedom followed by exotic transport phenomena, e.g., the layer Hall effect. Here, we propose that such a layer degree of freedom can be manipulated in a dissipationless way based on the antiferromagnetic [Formula: see text] with tailored domain structure. This makes [Formula: see text] a versatile platform to exploit the 'layertronics' to encode, process and store information. Importantly, the layer filter, layer valve and layer reverser devices can be achieved using the layer-locked chiral domain wall modes. The dissipationless nature of the domain wall modes makes the performance of the layertronic devices superior to those in spintronics and valleytronics. Specifically, the layer reverser, a layer version of the Datta-Das transistor, also fills up the blank in designing the valley reverser in valleytronics. Our work sheds light on constructing new generation electronic devices with high performance and low-energy consumption in the framework of layertronics.

Revealing inverted chirality of hidden domain wall states in multiband systems without topological transition

Chirality, a fundamental concept from biological molecules to advanced materials, is prevalent in nature. Yet, its intricate behavior in specific topological systems remains poorly understood. Here, we investigate the emergence of hidden chiral domain wall states using a double-chain Su-Schrieffer-Heeger model with interchain coupling specifically designed to break chiral symmetry. Our phase diagram reveals single-gap and double-gap phases based on electronic structure, where transitions occur without topological phase changes. In the single-gap phase, we reproduce chiral domain wall states, akin to chiral solitons in the double-chain model, where chirality is encoded in the spectrum and topological charge pumping. In the double-gap phase, we identify hidden chiral domain wall states exhibiting opposite chirality to the domain wall states in the single-gap phase, where the opposite chirality is confirmed through spectrum inversion and charge pumping as the corresponding domain wall slowly moves. By engineering gap structures, we demonstrate control over hidden chiral domain states. Our findings open avenues to investigate novel topological systems with broken chiral symmetry and potential applications in diverse systems.

The emergence of three-dimensional chiral domain walls in polar vortices.

Chirality or handedness of a material can be used as an order parameter to uncovertheemergent electronic properties for quantum information science. Conventionally, chirality is found in naturally occurring biomolecules and magnetic materials. Chirality can be engineered in a topological polar vortex ferroelectric/dielectric system via atomic-scale symmetry-breaking operations. We use four-dimensional scanning transmission electron microscopy (4D-STEM) to map out thetopology-driven three-dimensional domain walls, where the handedness of two neighbor topological domains change or remain the same. The nature of the domain walls is governed by the interplay ofthe local perpendicular (lateral) and parallel (axial) polarization with respect to the tubular vortex structures. Unique symmetry-breaking operations and the finite nature of domain walls result in a triple pointformation at the junction of chiral and achiral domain walls. The unconventional nature of the domain walls with triple point pairs may result in unique electrostatic and magnetic properties potentially useful for quantum sensing applications.

Magnon dynamics in a skyrmion-textured domain wall of antiferromagnets

We theoretically investigate the interaction between magnons and a Skyrmion-textured domain wall in a two-dimensional antiferromagnet and elucidate the resultant properties of magnon transport. Using supersymmetric quantum mechanics, we solve the scattering problem of magnons on top of the domain wall and obtain the exact solutions of propagating and bound magnon modes. Then, we find their properties of reflection and refraction in the Skyrmion-textured domain wall, where magnons experience an emergent magnetic field due to its non-trivial spin texture-induced effective gauge field. Based on the obtained scattering properties of magnons and the domain wall, we show that the thermal transport decreases as the domain wall's chirality increases. Our results suggest that the thermal transport of an antiferromagnet is tunable by modulating the Skyrmion charge density of the domain wall, which might be useful for realizing electrically tunable spin caloritronic devices.

Non-Lifshitz invariants corrections to Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction energy

We study the continuum limit of two-dimensional chiral magnets in which Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI) is due to the interplay between a smooth magnetic texture and spin-orbit coupling. The resulting free-energy density of the system contains linear terms in the spatial gradient of the magnetic texture, which mark an instability of the system towards the formation of nontrivial magnetic orders such as skyrmions or chiral domain walls. We perform a microscopic analysis of DMI tensors responsible for this contribution to free energy based on a Berry phase formulation in the mixed space of momentum and position, and reveal that they exhibit non-Lifshitz invariants features. In particular, a perturbation theory shows in the case of Rashba spin-orbit interactions the presence of non-Lifshitz invariants to third order in the small spin-orbit interaction and fourth order in the small exchange coupling. The higher-order terms may even lead to an enhancement of DMI interaction at strong spin-orbit coupling due to divergences in the density of states at the bottom of the conduction band. Finally, we also study the DMI free energy generated from Rashba spin-orbit interaction in different symmetry groups.

Control of the interaction between pinning disorder and domain walls in Pt/Co/AlOx ultrathin films by He+ ion irradiation

We have studied the effect of He+ irradiation on the dynamics of chiral domain walls in Pt/Co/AlOx trilayers in the creep regime. Irradiation leads to a strong decrease in the depinning field and a non-monotonous change of the effective pinning barriers. The variations of domain wall dynamics result essentially from the strong decrease in the effective anisotropy constant, which increases the domain wall width. The latter is found to present a perfect scaling with the length-scale of the interaction between domain wall and disorder, ξ. On the other hand, the strength of the domain wall–disorder interaction, fpin, is weakly impacted by the irradiation, suggesting that the length-scales of the disorder fluctuation remain smaller than the domain wall width.

Spin chirality driven by the Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction in one-dimensional antiferromagnetic chain

Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya (DM) interactions cause many interesting physical features, such as topologically nontrivial magnetic skyrmions and chiral domain walls. These interactions become more pronounced in low-dimensional systems. We investigated a one-dimensional Heisenberg spin-1/2 chain with an asymmetric DM interaction. The results show that, upon applying a nonzero DM interaction, the Néel ground state transitions to a spin chiral phase. Moreover, using the mean-field approximation, we obtain the dispersion of the energy spectrum, from which the z-axis spin chirality is calculated as a function of the strength of the DM interaction for low-lying excitations. The results indicate that the DM interaction facilitates chirality for Dz ≤ J and induces a spin-gapped chiral state.

Electrical control of antiferromagnetic domain walls in Weyl semimetals

The electric-field-induced angular force on the N\'eel vector in antiferromagnetic (AFM) Weyl semimetals (WSMs) is theoretically investigated. Unlike in the ferromagnetic (FM) counterparts, the magnetic textures in the AFM WSMs, such as the domain walls (DWs) appear to lack the torsion in the magnetization and, thus, unable to benefit from this highly efficient mechanism that originates from the axial magnetic effect. Contrarily, our calculations illustrate that the addition of the Dzyaloshinskii-Morya interaction can introduce a twist in the magnetization around the DW location, giving rise to a nonzero axial magnetic field. This axial magnetic field, when combined with an external electric field, can lead to an imbalance in the fermion density of Weyl cones of opposite chirality and, thus, a spatially localized net electron spin polarization. The resulting effective exchange field can exert an angular force on the AFM textures for spatial movement, which can be significant in certain AFM WSMs even under a moderate external electric field. The dynamics of the DW motion under this emergent angular force is analyzed by considering the balance of energy absorption and dissipation. Our investigation reveals the need to account for the contribution of the exchange dissipation mechanism beyond the typical Gilbert-like (relativistic) term to compensate the unusual superlinear rate of energy absorption by the AFM textures. The obtained DW velocity vs electric-field characteristics show a significant speedup for the N\'eel DWs in the AFM WSMs over the counterparts in the FM WSMs as well as those in the nontopological magnets. The analysis also elucidates the dependence of the DW motion on the DW chirality in these materials. Our results clearly indicate the significance of the energy-efficient axial magnetic effect in the dynamics of spin textures in AFM WSMs with broken inversion symmetry.

Perpendicular effective field induced by spin-orbit torque and magnetization damping in chiral domain walls

The effective magnetic fields induced by spin-orbit torque (SOT), Dzyaloshinsky-Moriya exchange interaction, and magnetization damping in chiral domain wall systems are very important to manipulate magnetization switching, stimulate magnetization oscillation, and drive domain wall motion in the applications of various spintronic devices. However, magnetization damping as an effective magnetic field is usually ignored in magnetization switching measured by magnetic hysteresis loops due to its dynamical and instantaneous feature. Here, we demonstrate that in addition to the dampinglike SOT effective field, the perpendicular effective field measured by the shift of Hall magnetic hysteresis curves also contains the $z$-direction effective fields originating from magnetization damping under the total static magnetic field. These findings provide key insights for understanding the effective magnetic fields originated from the magnetic damping and dampinglike SOT effective field in chiral domain walls, and pave the path to practical application of the chiral domain wall systems.

Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction and skyrmions in antiferromagnetic-based heterostructures

The Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI), an antisymmetric exchange format, plays a key role in the formation of chiral magnetic states. Here, a systematic study on the magnetic properties, including DMI, Heisenberg exchange coupling, and magnetocrystalline anisotropy of IrMn (PtMn) and MgO/IrMn (MgO/PtMn) stacks were carried out by first-principles calculation. Furthermore, the effect of DMI on topological magnetism in the above structures was investigated by micromagnetic simulations based on magnetic parameters from first-principles calculation. A large DMI and microscopic mechanisms of DMI at MgO/IrMn interface were unveiled. This interfacial DMI originates from the dominant contribution from the Ir layer and the orbital hybridization with Ir 3d orbit. The micromagnetic simulation indicates that the labyrinth domains with chiral domain walls and antiferromagnetic skyrmions appear for MgO/IrMn heterostructure, and isolated antiferromagnetic skyrmions are induced for MgO/PtMn heterostructure without any external magnetic fields. Our results may open up a new route to generate the magnetic antiferromagnetic skyrmions at oxide/antiferromagnetic interfaces, which can be an ideal information carrier.

Antiferromagnetic topological magnetism in synthetic van der Waals antiferromagnets

Antiferromagnetic (AFM) skyrmions are now becoming an intensively studied topic because they can overcome limitations of the skyrmion Hall effect and dipolar field-induced large size of skyrmions. However, most studies of the AFM skyrmions are focusing on the synthetic antiferromagnets consisting of metallic multilayers, but the investigation of AFM topological magnetism in synthetic vdW antiferromagnets is still rare as far as we know. Here, we propose and demonstrate from first-principles calculations and atomic spin model simulations that a variety of AFM topological spin textures, including skyrmion, chiral domain wall, and meron, can be induced in van der Waals (vdW) synthetic antiferromagnets, i.e., $\mathrm{Mn}{\mathrm{Bi}}_{2}\mathrm{Se}{(\mathrm{S})}_{2}{\mathrm{Te}}_{2}$ bilayer and trilayer. We further show that these noncollinear spin textures are closely hinged with stacking properties and possess unique spin dynamics. Our findings provide not only specific material candidates but also a general approach for achieving and controlling AFM topological magnetism in vdW magnets.

Pressure-tuning domain-wall chirality in noncentrosymmetric magnetic Weyl semimetal CeAlGe

Topological magnetic Weyl semimetals have been proposed to host controllable chiral domain walls which bear a great prospect in device applications. To exploit them in applications, it is important to have a proper way to tune and manipulate these domain walls. One possible means is through magnetoelastic coupling. The involvement of rare earth in the lately proposed $R$Al$X$ ($R$=rare earth, $X$=Si and Ge) family magnetic Weyl semimetals may provide such a platform. Here we present transport and thermodynamic properties of CeAlGe under hydrostatic pressure. We find that pressure enhances the antiferromagnetic exchange in CeAlGe but essentially retains its magnetic structure. Large topological Hall effect with pronounced loop shape is observed within the magnetically ordered state, and it splits into two regions under pressure. Such an unusual electromagnetic response is inferred to be a consequence of chiral magnetic domain walls. The unprecedented concomitance of its evolution under pressure and the reentrance of antiferromagnetic order strongly suggest the capability of switching on/off this electromagnetic response in noncentrosymmetric magnetic Weyl semimetals via magnetoelastic coupling.

Quantum Anomalous Hall Effects Controlled by Chiral Domain Walls

We report the interplay between two different topological phases in condensed matter physics, the magnetic chiral domain wall (DW), and the quantum anomalous Hall (QAH) effect. It is shown that the chiral DW driven by Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction can divide the uniform domain into several zones where the neighboring zone possesses opposite quantized Hall conductance. The separated domain with a chiral edge state (CES) can be continuously modified by external magnetic field-induced domain expansion and thermal fluctuation, which gives rise to the reconfigurable QAH effect. More interestingly, we show that the position of CES can be tuned by spin current driven chiral DW motion. Several two-dimensional magnets with high Curie temperature and large topological band gaps are proposed for realizing these phenomena. The present work thus reveals the possibility of chiral DW controllable QAH effects.