Magnetic skyrmions and antiskyrmions are intriguing topological defects in spin textures. A single-antiskyrmion defect would form and collapse to straightforwardly complete the topological transition for the nucleation of a skyrmion phase from a ferromagnetic background. Here, a novel multi-antiskyrmion defects-driven skyrmion nucleation mechanism is investigated in both the ferromagnetic single layer and synthetic antiferromagnetic trilayers with the spin-polarized current stimuli. The multi-antiskyrmion defects mechanism needs lower nucleation activation energy than the single-antiskyrmion defect mechanism and brings about intriguing fluctuations in topological charge. The multi-antiskyrmion defects mechanism can survive even at room temperature and is robust against simulation parameters. Our finding not only unravels an unprecedented skyrmion nucleation process but also provides a platform for investigating antiskyrmions as topological defects during topological transition.
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14 November 2020
Research Article|
November 12 2020
Formation and annihilation of multi-antiskyrmion defects during skyrmion nucleation
Special Collection:
Phase-Change Materials: Syntheses, Fundamentals, and Applications
L. Han
;
L. Han
Key Laboratory of Advanced Materials (MOE), School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University
, Beijing 100084, China
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C. Song
;
C. Song
a)
Key Laboratory of Advanced Materials (MOE), School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University
, Beijing 100084, China
a)Author to whom correspondence should be addressed: songcheng@mail.tsinghua.edu.cn
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F. Pan
F. Pan
Key Laboratory of Advanced Materials (MOE), School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University
, Beijing 100084, China
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a)Author to whom correspondence should be addressed: songcheng@mail.tsinghua.edu.cn
Note: This paper is part of the Special Topic on Phase-Change Materials: Syntheses, Fundamentals, and Applications.
J. Appl. Phys. 128, 183903 (2020)
Article history
Received:
August 28 2020
Accepted:
October 27 2020
Citation
L. Han, C. Song, F. Pan; Formation and annihilation of multi-antiskyrmion defects during skyrmion nucleation. J. Appl. Phys. 14 November 2020; 128 (18): 183903. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0027351
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