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Ran K, Tan W, Sun X, Liu Y, Dalgliesh RM, Steinke NJ, van der Laan G, Langridge S, Hesjedal T, Zhang S. Bending skyrmion strings under two-dimensional thermal gradients. Nat Commun 2024; 15:4860. [PMID: 38849412 PMCID: PMC11161597 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-49288-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2023] [Accepted: 05/31/2024] [Indexed: 06/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Magnetic skyrmions are topologically protected magnetization vortices that form three-dimensional strings in chiral magnets. With the manipulation of skyrmions being key to their application in devices, the focus has been on their dynamics within the vortex plane, while the dynamical control of skyrmion strings remained uncharted territory. Here, we report the effective bending of three-dimensional skyrmion strings in the chiral magnet MnSi in orthogonal thermal gradients using small angle neutron scattering. This dynamical behavior is achieved by exploiting the temperature-dependent skyrmion Hall effect, which is unexpected in the framework of skyrmion dynamics. We thus provide experimental evidence for the existence of magnon friction, which was recently proposed to be a key ingredient for capturing skyrmion dynamics, requiring a modification of Thiele's equation. Our work therefore suggests the existence of an extra degree of freedom for the manipulation of three-dimensional skyrmions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kejing Ran
- School of Physical Science and Technology and ShanghaiTech Laboratory for Topological Physics, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, China
- College of Physics & Center of Quantum Materials and Devices, Chongqing University, Chongqing, China
| | - Wancong Tan
- School of Physical Science and Technology and ShanghaiTech Laboratory for Topological Physics, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xinyu Sun
- School of Physical Science and Technology and ShanghaiTech Laboratory for Topological Physics, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yizhou Liu
- RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science (CEMS), Wako, Japan
| | | | | | | | | | - Thorsten Hesjedal
- Department of Physics, Clarendon Laboratory, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Shilei Zhang
- School of Physical Science and Technology and ShanghaiTech Laboratory for Topological Physics, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, China.
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He B, Jin H, Zheng D, Liu Y, Li J, Hu Y, Wang Y, Zhang J, Peng Y, Wan C, Zhu T, Han X, Zhang S, Yu G. Creation of Room-Temperature Sub-100 nm Antiferromagnetic Skyrmions in an Antiferromagnet IrMn through Interfacial Exchange Coupling. NANO LETTERS 2024; 24:2196-2202. [PMID: 38329428 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.3c04221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/09/2024]
Abstract
Antiferromagnetic (AFM) skyrmions are magnetic vortices composed of antiparallell-aligned neighboring spins. In stark contrast to conventional skyrmions based on ferromagnetic order, AFM skyrmions have vanished stray fields, higher response frequencies, and rectified translational motion driven by an external force. Therefore, AFM skyrmions promise highly efficient spintronics devices with high bit mobility and density. Nevertheless, the experimental realization of intrinsic AFM skyrmions remains elusive. Here, we show that AFM skyrmions can be nucleated via interfacial exchange coupling at the surface of a room-temperature AFM material, IrMn, exploiting the particular response from uncompensated moments to the thermal annealing and imprinting effects. Further systematic magnetic characterizations validate the existence of such an AFM order at the IrMn/CoFeB interfaces. Such AFM skyrmions have a typical size of 100 nm, which presents pronounced robustness against field and temperature. Our work opens new pathways for magnetic topological devices based on AFM skyrmions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bin He
- Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
- Center of Materials Science and Optoelectronics Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Haonan Jin
- School of Physical Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China
- ShanghaiTech Laboratory for Topological Physics, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Dongfeng Zheng
- Songshan Lake Materials Laboratory, Dongguan, Guangdong 523808, China
| | - Yizhou Liu
- Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
| | - Jialiang Li
- Spallation Neutron Source Science Center, Dongguan 523803, China
| | - Yue Hu
- Key Laboratory for Magnetism and Magnetic Materials of Ministry of Education, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Yuqiang Wang
- Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
- Center of Materials Science and Optoelectronics Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Junwei Zhang
- Key Laboratory for Magnetism and Magnetic Materials of Ministry of Education, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Yong Peng
- Key Laboratory for Magnetism and Magnetic Materials of Ministry of Education, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Caihua Wan
- Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
- Songshan Lake Materials Laboratory, Dongguan, Guangdong 523808, China
| | - Tao Zhu
- Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
- Songshan Lake Materials Laboratory, Dongguan, Guangdong 523808, China
- Spallation Neutron Source Science Center, Dongguan 523803, China
| | - Xiufeng Han
- Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
- Center of Materials Science and Optoelectronics Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
- Songshan Lake Materials Laboratory, Dongguan, Guangdong 523808, China
| | - Shilei Zhang
- School of Physical Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China
- ShanghaiTech Laboratory for Topological Physics, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Guoqiang Yu
- Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
- Center of Materials Science and Optoelectronics Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
- Songshan Lake Materials Laboratory, Dongguan, Guangdong 523808, China
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Jin H, Tan W, Liu Y, Ran K, Fan R, Shangguan Y, Guang Y, van der Laan G, Hesjedal T, Wen J, Yu G, Zhang S. Evolution of Emergent Monopoles into Magnetic Skyrmion Strings. NANO LETTERS 2023. [PMID: 37263581 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.3c01117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Topological defects are fundamental concepts in physics, but little is known about the transition between distinct types across different dimensionalities. In topological magnetism, as in field theory, the transition between 1D strings and 0D monopoles is a key process whose observation has remained elusive. Here, we introduce a novel mechanism that allows for the controlled stabilization of emergent monopoles and show that magnetic skyrmion strings can be folded into monopoles. Conversely, they act as seeds out of which the entire string structure can unfold, containing its complete information. In chiral magnets, this process can be observed by resonant elastic X-ray scattering when the objects are in proximity to a polarized ferromagnet, whereby a pure monopole lattice is emerging on the surface. Our experimental proof of the reversible evolution from monopole to string sheds new light on topological defects and establishes the emergent monopole lattice as a new 3D topological phase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haonan Jin
- School of Physical Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 200031, China
- ShanghaiTech Laboratory for Topological Physics, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Wancong Tan
- School of Physical Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 200031, China
- ShanghaiTech Laboratory for Topological Physics, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Yizhou Liu
- RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science (CEMS), Wako, Saitama 351-0198, Japan
| | - Kejing Ran
- School of Physical Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 200031, China
- ShanghaiTech Laboratory for Topological Physics, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Raymond Fan
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot OX11 0DE, United Kingdom
| | - Yanyan Shangguan
- National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures and Department of PhysicsNanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210093, China
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210093, China
| | - Yao Guang
- Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
| | - Gerrit van der Laan
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot OX11 0DE, United Kingdom
| | - Thorsten Hesjedal
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot OX11 0DE, United Kingdom
- Department of Physics, Clarendon Laboratory, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PU, United Kingdom
| | - Jinsheng Wen
- National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures and Department of PhysicsNanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210093, China
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210093, China
| | - Guoqiang Yu
- Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
| | - Shilei Zhang
- School of Physical Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 200031, China
- ShanghaiTech Laboratory for Topological Physics, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 200031, China
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Ran K, Liu Y, Jin H, Shangguan Y, Guang Y, Wen J, Yu G, van der Laan G, Hesjedal T, Zhang S. Axially Bound Magnetic Skyrmions: Glueing Topological Strings Across an Interface. NANO LETTERS 2022; 22:3737-3743. [PMID: 35451843 PMCID: PMC9101076 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.2c00689] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2022] [Revised: 04/04/2022] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
A major challenge in topological magnetism lies in the three-dimensional (3D) exploration of their magnetic textures. A recent focus has been the question of how 2D skyrmion sheets vertically stack to form distinct types of 3D topological strings. Being able to manipulate the vertical coupling should therefore provide a route to the engineering of topological states. Here, we present a new type of axially bound magnetic skyrmion string state in which the strings in two distinct materials are glued together across their interface. With quasi-tomographic resonant elastic X-ray scattering, the 3D skyrmion profiles before and after their binding across the interface were unambiguously determined and compared. Their attractive binding is accompanied by repulsive twisting; i.e., the coupled skyrmions mutually affect each other via a compensating twisting. This state exists in chiral magnet-magnetic thin film heterostructures, providing a new arena for the engineering of 3D topological phases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kejing Ran
- School
of Physical Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech
University, Shanghai 200031, China
- ShanghaiTech
Laboratory for Topological Physics, ShanghaiTech
University, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Yizhou Liu
- RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science (CEMS), Wako 351-0198, Japan
| | - Haonan Jin
- School
of Physical Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech
University, Shanghai 200031, China
- ShanghaiTech
Laboratory for Topological Physics, ShanghaiTech
University, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Yanyan Shangguan
- National
Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures and Department of Physics, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China and Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced
Microstructures, Nanjing 210093, China
| | - Yao Guang
- Beijing
National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
| | - Jinsheng Wen
- National
Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures and Department of Physics, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China and Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced
Microstructures, Nanjing 210093, China
| | - Guoqiang Yu
- Beijing
National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
| | - Gerrit van der Laan
- Diamond
Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation
Campus, Didcot OX11 0DE, United Kingdom
| | - Thorsten Hesjedal
- Clarendon
Laboratory, Department of Physics, University
of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford OX1
3PU, United Kingdom
| | - Shilei Zhang
- School
of Physical Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech
University, Shanghai 200031, China
- ShanghaiTech
Laboratory for Topological Physics, ShanghaiTech
University, Shanghai 200031, China
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