Skyrmion Textures Research Articles

Topological orbital Hall effect caused by skyrmions and antiferromagnetic skyrmions

The topological Hall effect is a hallmark of topologically non-trivial magnetic textures such as magnetic skyrmions. It quantifies the transverse electric current that is generated once an electric field is applied and occurs as a consequence of the emergent magnetic field of the skyrmion. Likewise, an orbital magnetization is generated. Here we show that the charge currents are orbital polarized even though the conduction electrons couple to the skyrmion texture via their spin. The topological Hall effect is accompanied by a topological orbital Hall effect even for s electrons without spin-orbit coupling. As we show, antiferromagnetic skyrmions and antiferromagnetic bimerons that have a compensated emergent field, exhibit a topological orbital Hall conductivity that is not accompanied by charge transport and can be orders of magnitude larger than the topological spin Hall conductivity. Skyrmionic textures serve as generators of orbital currents that can transport information and give rise to considerable orbital torques.

Periodic skyrmionic textures via conformal cartographic projections

We find periodic skyrmionic textures via conformal cartographic projections that map either an entire spherical parameter space or a hemisphere onto every regular polygon that provides regular tessellations of the plane. These textures minimize the energy inherent to the mapping and preserve the sign of the Skyrme density throughout the entire space. We show that 2D spinor fields (e.g., 2D polarization) that present periodic textures preserving the sign of the Skyrme density unavoidably exhibit zeros. We implement these textures in the polarization state of a laser beam.

Magnetic ordering and dynamics in monolayers and bilayers of chromium trihalides: atomistic simulations approach

We analyze magnetic properties of monolayers and bilayers of chromium iodide, \\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\\hbox {CrI}_3$$\\end{document}, in two different stacking configurations: AA and rhombohedral ones. Our main focus is on the corresponding Curie temperatures, hysteresis curves, equilibrium spin structures, and spin wave excitations. To obtain all these magnetic characteristic, we employ the atomistic spin dynamics and Monte Carlo simulation techniques. The model Hamiltonian includes isotropic exchange coupling, magnetic anisotropy, and Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction. As the latter interaction is relatively weak in pristine \\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\\hbox {CrI}_3$$\\end{document}, we consider a more general case, when the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction is enhanced externally (e.g. due to gate voltage, mechanical strain, or proximity effects). An important issue of the analysis is the correlation between hysteresis curves and spin configurations in the system, as well as formation of the skyrmion textures.

Ultrafast manipulations of nanoscale skyrmioniums

The advancement of next-generation magnetic devices depends on fast manipulating magnetic microstructures at the nanoscale. A universal method is presented for rapid and reliable generating, controlling, and driving nano-scale skyrmioniums, through high-throughput micromagnetic simulations. Ultrafast switches are realized between skyrmionium and skyrmion states and rapidly change their polarities in monolayer magnetic nanodisks by perpendicular magnetic fields. The transition mechanism by alternating magnetic fields differs from that under steady magnetic fields. New skyrmionic textures, such as flower-like and windmill-like skyrmions, are discovered. Moreover, this nanoscale skyrmionium can move rapidly and stably in nanoribbons using weaker spin-polarized currents. Explicit discussions are held regarding the physical mechanisms involved in ultrafast manipulations of skyrmioniums. This work provides further physical insights into the manipulation and application of topological skyrmionic structures for developing low-power consumption and nanostorage devices.

Stability and Spin Waves of Skyrmion Tubes in Curved FeGe Nanowires.

In this work, we investigate the influence of curvature on the dynamic susceptibility in FeGe nanowires, both curved and straight, hosting a skyrmionic tube texture under the action of an external bias field, using micromagnetic simulations. Our results demonstrate that both the resonance frequencies and the number of resonant peaks are highly dependent on the curvature of the system. To further understand the nature of the spin wave modes, we analyze the spatial distributions of the resonant mode amplitudes and phases, describing the differences among resonance modes observed. The ability to control the dynamic properties and frequencies of these nanostructures underscores their potential application in frequency-selective magnetic devices.

High-topological-number skyrmions with tunable diameters in two-dimensional frustrated J1−J2 magnets

Skyrmions are intriguing quasiparticles in the field of condensed matter due to their unique physics and promising applications in spintronic devices. However, despite abundant studies on skyrmions with a topological charge of Q = 1, there have been only few on those with higher Q (≥2) due to their intrinsic instability in Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction (DMI) systems. In this work, applying the frustrated J1−J2 Heisenberg spin model, we investigate the stability of high-Q skyrmions and the manipulation of their diameters in a hexagonal close-packed lattice through atomistic simulations and first-principles calculations. First, three spin textures, called spiral, skyrmion, and ferromagnetic, are identified by varying (J1, J2), and it is shown that skyrmions with higher Q can occupy a wider range of (J1, J2) values. The diameter of the skyrmions can then be finely tuned using the frustration strength (|J2/J1|), the single-ion anisotropy (K), and an external magnetic field (B). As B increases, the high-Q skyrmions split into skyrmions with smaller Q and can be annihilated by a larger B. Furthermore, we find that the CoCl2 monolayer satisfies the criteria for a frustrated J1−J2 magnet, and its magnetic behaviors align with the aforementioned conclusions. In addition, high-Q skyrmions are identified in the CoCl2 monolayer, and the corresponding energy barriers for skyrmion collapse are investigated. Our findings pave the way for prospective spintronic applications based on high-Q and nanoscale skyrmionic textures.

Topological Structures of Energy Flow: Poynting Vector Skyrmions.

Topological properties of energy flow of light are fundamentally interesting and may introduce novel physical phenomena associated with directional light scattering and optical trapping. In this Letter, skyrmionlike structures formed by Poynting vectors are unveiled in the focal region of two pairs of counterpropagating cylindrical vector vortex beams in free space. The appearance of local phase singularities, and the distinct traveling and standing wave modes of different field components passing through the focal spot lead to a Néel-Bloch-Néel transition of Poynting vector skyrmion textures along the light propagating direction. By shaping the wave front of the incident beams with patterned amplitudes, the topological invariant of the Poynting vector skyrmions can be further tuned in a prospective area. This work expands the family of optical skyrmions and holds great potential in energy flow associated applications.

Realization of spinful metaphotonic stokes skyrmions

Abstract Topologically protected skyrmion textures of light have garnered significant attention due to their potential applications in next-generation high-density data storage and logic devices. However, achieving compact and tunable on-chip skyrmion modes remains a formidable challenge. In this work, we present a novel approach empowered by birefringent metasurfaces to generate and manipulate spin-multiplexed photonic skyrmion textures. By encoding independent phase profiles onto orthogonal spin states, we observe the emergence of anti-skyrmions and skyrmioniums via Stokes parameter measurements, elucidating their distinct topological characteristics. This spin-multiplexed metasurface platform not only facilitates high-dimensional multiplexing but also enables the miniaturization of topological quasi-particles, offering promising prospects for applications in optical memory, information processing, and communications.

OAM Driven Nucleation of Sub‐50 nm Compact Antiferromagnetic Skyrmions

AbstractOwing to their high mobility and immunity to topological deflection, skyrmions in antiferromagnetic (AFM) systems are gaining attention as a potential solution for next‐generation magnetic data storage. Synthetic antiferromagnets (SAFs) offer a promising avenue to tune the properties of the individual magnetic layers, facilitating the conditions necessary for skyrmions to be used in practical devices. Despite recent advancements achieving fast skyrmion mobility, the nucleation of small and rigid circular skyrmions without an external field remains challenging in SAFs. Theoretical predictions suggest that optical vortex (OAM) beams can stabilize skyrmionic spin textures by transferring their spin and orbital angular momentum to the magnetic material. Here, this intriguing proposal is delved into and the creation of sub‐50 nm compact skyrmions in SAFs using OAM beams is successfully demonstrated, eliminating the need for external magnetic fields. Additionally, the results underscore the importance of beam energy and the number of pulses, as both factors play critical roles in the stabilization of these AFM skyrmionic textures. This breakthrough is significant as it paves the way for stabilizing true zero‐field skyrmions in AFM systems, where magnetization is minimally affected by external magnetic fields. This work will open a potential avenue for stabilizing small, compact skyrmions in antiferroic systems, facilitating their implementation in logic and memory devices.

Acoustic Skyrmionic Mode Coupling and Transferring in a Chain of Subwavelength Metastructures.

Skyrmions, a stable topological vectorial textures characteristic with skyrmionic number, hold promise for advanced applications in information storage and transmission. While the dynamic motion control of skyrmions has been realized with various techniques in magnetics and optics, the manipulation of acoustic skyrmion has not been done. Here, the propagation and control of acoustic skyrmion along a chain of metastructures are shown. In coupled acoustic resonators made with Archimedes spiral channel, the skyrmion hybridization is found giving rise to bonding and antibonding skyrmionic modes. Furthermore, it is experimentally observed that the skyrmionic mode of acoustic velocity field distribution can be robustly transferred covering a long distance and almost no distortion of the skyrmion textures in a chain of metastructures, even if a structure defect is introduced in the travel path. The proposed localized acoustic skyrmionic mode coupling and propagating is expected in future applications for manipulating acoustic information storage and transfer.

Wavelength-tuned transformation between photonic skyrmion and meron spin textures

Topological spin textures, among which skyrmions and merons are typical examples, have with their swirling vectorial structures triggered enormous interest in physical systems including elementary particles and magnetic materials. Manipulating their symmetry and topology is important for understanding the mechanisms that underlie their topological phase transformation as well as offering tunable degrees of freedom to encode information, which has already been demonstrated in magnetic materials. Recently, the photonic counterparts of skyrmions and merons were constructed in a 2D wave system with deep-subwavelength features promising for optical sensing, imaging, and information decoding. However, their experimental realization relied on stringent excitation conditions that only support a single spin texture type on a specific structure. Here, we demonstrate for the first time the transformation between photonic skyrmion and meron spin lattices on the same metallic meta-surface having a well-designed structural period. We show experimentally the wavelength-tuned symmetry transformation of the photonic spin lattices, which are also found to be robust against disorder in the structure to a certain degree. This work provides new insights into controlling the electromagnetic field symmetry and topology, as well as in developing applications in spin optics and topological photonics.

Direct imprint of optical skyrmions in azopolymers as photoinduced relief structures

Skyrmions, topologically stable configurations of a three-component vector field with sophisticated textures, have been considered in many contexts, including atomic physics, Bose–Einstein condensates, liquid crystals, and magnetic materials. Although optical counterparts of skyrmions have extensively been studied theoretically and recently demonstrated in the laboratory experiments, their experimental mapping is challenging due to the fine, three-dimensional, and complicated structure of their polarization distributions. Here, we propose and demonstrate a straightforward mapping of the polarization textures of optical Néel-, Bloch-, and anti-skyrmions based on the radiation pressure and direct imprinting of the skyrmion textures on azopolymers. These results not only elucidate the exotic interaction that occurs between topologically protected quasiparticles of light and matter but also provide a simple approach for generation and characterization of optical skyrmions, based on a dual-path polarization shaping configuration with a single spatial light modulator, and their measurements based on the radiation pressure.

Raman Shifts in Two-Dimensional van der Waals Magnets Reveal Magnetic Texture Evolution.

Two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals magnets comprise rich physics that can be exploited for spintronic applications. We investigate the interplay between spin-phonon coupling and spin textures in a 2D van der Waals magnet by combining magneto-Raman spectroscopy with cryogenic Lorentz transmission electron microscopy. We find that when stable skyrmion bubbles are formed in the 2D magnet, a field-dependent Raman shift can be observed, and this shift is absent for the 2D magnet prepared in its ferromagnetic state. Correlating these observations with numerical simulations that take into account field-dependent magnetic textures and spin--phonon coupling in the 2D magnet, we associate the Raman shift to field-induced modulations of the skyrmion bubbles and derive the existence of inhomogeneity in the skyrmion textures over the film thickness.

Microscopic theory of current-induced skyrmion transport and its application in disordered spin textures

Introduction: Magnetic skyrmions hold great promise for realizing compact and stable memory devices that can be manipulated at very low energy costs via electronic current densities.Methods: In this work, we extend a recently introduced method to describe classical skyrmion textures coupled to dynamical itinerant electrons. In this scheme, the electron dynamics is described via nonequilibrium Green’s function (NEGF) within the generalized Kadanoff–Baym ansatz, and the classical spins are treated via the Landau–Lifshitz–Gilbert equation. Here, the framework is extended to open systems by the introduction of a non-interacting approximation to the collision integral of NEGFs. This, in turn, allows us to perform computations of the real-time response of skyrmions to electronic currents in large quantum systems coupled to electronic reservoirs, which exhibit linear scaling in the number of time steps. We use this approach to investigate how electronic spin currents and dilute spin disorder affect skyrmion transport and the skyrmion Hall drift.Results: Our results show that the skyrmion dynamics is sensitive to a specific form of the spin disorder, such that different disorder configurations lead to qualitatively different skyrmion trajectories for the same applied bias.Discussion: This sensitivity arises from the local spin dynamics around the magnetic impurities, a feature that is expected not to be well-captured by phenomenological or spin-only descriptions. At the same time, our findings illustrate the potential of engineering microscopic impurity patterns to steer skyrmion trajectories.

Skyrmion-deriven topological spin and charge Hall effects in diffusive antiferromagnetic thin films

We investigate topological Hall effects in a metallic antiferromagnetic (AFM) thin film and/or at the interface of an AFM insulator–normal metal bilayer with a single skyrmion in the diffusive regime. To determine the spin- and charge Hall currents, we employed a Boltzmann kinetic equation with both spin-dependent and spin-flip scatterings. The interaction between conduction electrons and static skyrmions is included in the Boltzmann equation via the corresponding emergent magnetic field arising from the skyrmion texture. We compute intrinsic and extrinsic contributions to the topological spin Hall effect and spin accumulation, induced by an AFM skyrmion. We show that although the spin Hall current vanishes rapidly outside the skyrmion, the spin accumulation can be finite at the edges far from the skyrmion, provided the spin diffusion length is longer than the skyrmion radius. In addition, We show that in the presence of a spin-dependent relaxation time, the topological charge Hall effect is finite and we determine the corresponding Hall voltage. Our results may help to explore antiferromagnetic skyrmions by electrical means in real materials.

Spin skyrmion gaps as signatures of strong-coupling insulators in magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene

The flat electronic bands in magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene (MATBG) host a variety of correlated insulating ground states, many of which are predicted to support charged excitations with topologically non-trivial spin and/or valley skyrmion textures. However, it has remained challenging to experimentally address their ground state order and excitations, both because some of the proposed states do not couple directly to experimental probes, and because they are highly sensitive to spatial inhomogeneities in real samples. Here, using a scanning single-electron transistor, we observe thermodynamic gaps at even integer moiré filling factors at low magnetic fields. We find evidence of a field-tuned crossover from charged spin skyrmions to bare particle-like excitations, suggesting that the underlying ground state belongs to the manifold of strong-coupling insulators. From the spatial dependence of these states and the chemical potential variation within the flat bands, we infer a link between the stability of the correlated ground states and local twist angle and strain. Our work advances the microscopic understanding of the correlated insulators in MATBG and their unconventional excitations.

Towards Three-dimensional Mapping of Skyrmionic Spin Textures in an FeGe Nanodisk Using Off-axis Electron Holography.

Towards Three-dimensional Mapping of Skyrmionic Spin Textures in an FeGe Nanodisk Using Off-axis Electron Holography.

Resonant dynamics of three-dimensional skyrmionic textures in thin film multilayers

Skyrmions are topological magnetic solitons that exhibit a rich variety of dynamics, such as breathing and gyration, which can involve collective behavior in arrangements like skyrmion lattices. However, such localized excitations typically lie in the gap of the spin wave spectrum and do not couple to propagating modes. By combining magnetic force microscopy, broadband ferromagnetic resonance, and micromagnetics simulations, we show that in thin-film multilayers of [Pt/FeCoB/AlOx]20 a high-frequency (>12 GHz) mode accompanies the skyrmion lattice phase, which involves the coherent precession of the skyrmion cores that results in the generation of 50–80 nm wavelength spin waves flowing into the uniformly magnetized background. This observation is made possible by a Gilbert damping constant of ∼0.02, which is nearly an order of magnitude lower than in similar ultrathin materials. The simulations also reveal a complex three-dimensional spin structure of the skyrmion cores, which plays a key role for spin wave generation.

Ultrasmall Polar Skyrmions and Merons in SrTiO3 Heterostructures by Polaron Engineering.

Topological objects with skyrmionic textures in ferroelectrics, i.e., polar skyrmions, are promising technological paradigms in next-generation electronic devices. While breakthrough discoveries of stable polar skyrmions approximately ten nanometers in size have been very recently witnessed in complex systems, such a nontrivial topological order in ferroelectrics inevitably disappears below the ferroelectric critical size of several nanometers. Herein, we propose a strategy to overcome this limitation and achieve ultrasmall and isolated polar skyrmions by engineering excess-electron polarons in otherwise nonferroelectric SrTiO3 heterostructures. Our first-principle calculations demonstrate that a polaron localized at a SrTiO3 surface induces a Neel-type polar skyrmion as small as 1.8 nanometers attributed to the effect of atomic-scale surface roughness. Furthermore, we show that this polar topological structure is tunable by the choice of heterostructures and by the mechanical approach, which undergoes a phase transition to a meron state in the twisted boundary and to an antiskyrmion state in the surface with external shear strain, respectively. Such ultraminiaturization of skyrmions and their transitions unexpectedly unravels the formula of ultrasmall topological orders originating from the interplay between an electron polaron and structural symmetry breaking, which is completely different from the common mechanism of geometric confinement for larger-scale skyrmions. Our results not only provide a mechanism for the exploration of polar skyrmions and their rich topological transitions but also hold potential for ultrahigh-density memories.

Nature of magnetic transitions and evidence for magnetoelastic coupling in the biskyrmion-host hexagonal compound MnNiGa

The hexagonal compound MnNiGa with Ni2In-type structure has emerged as an important biskyrmion-host system in which these textures are super-stable over a wide temperature range extending from 16 K to the Curie temperature TC ∼350 K under moderate fields. Both the intensity of the external magnetic field and the presence of magnetoelastic coupling are known to play key role in the stability of the skyrmionic textures. Here we present the results of the first comprehensive investigation of the order of the phase transitions and its field dependence along with magnetoelastic (i.e., spin-lattice) coupling using a combined magnetization and high-resolution synchrotron x-ray powder diffraction (SXRPD) study of MnNiGa. The temperature dependence of the magnetization M(T) exhibits a paramagnetic to collinear ferromagnetic (FM) transition at TC (∼347 ± 0.5 K) with thermal hysteresis and negative slope in the Arrott plots across the TC suggesting its first order character. The M(T) plot in the collinear FM phase exhibits an anomalously decreasing behaviour after reaching its peak value at 300 K followed by a step-like change below 210 K due to an additional spin reorientation transition (SRT) to a non-collinear FM phase with TSRT∼200 ± 1 K. The SRT also shows thermal hysteresis characteristic of a first order phase transition. Our field dependent studies reveal stabilization of the collinear FM phase to higher temperatures and destabilization of the SRT transition setting an upper limit on the magnetic field for the observation of biskyrmions in this system. The Rietveld analysis of the SXRPD data reveals anomalies in the unit cell parameters at TC and TSRT without any change in the crystal symmetry. The modelling of the temperature dependence of the unit cell volume in terms of the Debye-Grüneisen equation reveals significant deviation from phonon contributions and the presence of the quadratic spin-lattice coupling below the FM TC, in the precursor SRT regime as well as below TSRT. The present results on the magnetoelastic coupling in the hexagonal MnNiGa may provide the necessary insight towards understanding the extreme sensitivity of the magnetic skyrmionic textures to external stresses.