Microscopic theory of light-induced ultrafast skyrmion excitation in transition metal films
Abstract Magnetic skyrmions are topological excitations of great promise for compact and efficient memory storage. However, to interface skyrmionics with electronic devices requires efficient and reliable ways of creating and destroying such excitations. In this work, we unravel the microscopic mech...
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Nature Portfolio
2022-04-01
|
| Series: | npj Computational Materials |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41524-022-00735-5 |
| _version_ | 1811260863086067712 |
|---|---|
| author | Emil Viñas Boström Angel Rubio Claudio Verdozzi |
| author_facet | Emil Viñas Boström Angel Rubio Claudio Verdozzi |
| author_sort | Emil Viñas Boström |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Magnetic skyrmions are topological excitations of great promise for compact and efficient memory storage. However, to interface skyrmionics with electronic devices requires efficient and reliable ways of creating and destroying such excitations. In this work, we unravel the microscopic mechanism behind ultrafast skyrmion generation by femtosecond laser pulses in transition metal thin films. We employ a theoretical approach based on a two-band electronic model, and show that by exciting the itinerant electronic subsystem with a femtosecond laser ultrafast skyrmion nucleation can occur on a 100 fs timescale. By combining numerical simulations with an analytical treatment of the strong s–d exchange limit, we identify the coupling between electronic currents and the localized d-orbital spins, mediated via Rashba spin–orbit interactions among the itinerant electrons, as the microscopic and central mechanism leading to ultrafast skyrmion generation. Our results show that an explicit treatment of itinerant electron dynamics is crucial to understand optical skyrmion generation. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T18:53:59Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-6ac777dcc25a4a22a3baebe91478666d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2057-3960 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T18:53:59Z |
| publishDate | 2022-04-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | npj Computational Materials |
| spelling | doaj.art-6ac777dcc25a4a22a3baebe91478666d2022-12-22T03:20:24ZengNature Portfolionpj Computational Materials2057-39602022-04-01811710.1038/s41524-022-00735-5Microscopic theory of light-induced ultrafast skyrmion excitation in transition metal filmsEmil Viñas Boström0Angel Rubio1Claudio Verdozzi2Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of MatterMax Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of MatterDivision of Mathematical Physics and ETSF, Lund UniversityAbstract Magnetic skyrmions are topological excitations of great promise for compact and efficient memory storage. However, to interface skyrmionics with electronic devices requires efficient and reliable ways of creating and destroying such excitations. In this work, we unravel the microscopic mechanism behind ultrafast skyrmion generation by femtosecond laser pulses in transition metal thin films. We employ a theoretical approach based on a two-band electronic model, and show that by exciting the itinerant electronic subsystem with a femtosecond laser ultrafast skyrmion nucleation can occur on a 100 fs timescale. By combining numerical simulations with an analytical treatment of the strong s–d exchange limit, we identify the coupling between electronic currents and the localized d-orbital spins, mediated via Rashba spin–orbit interactions among the itinerant electrons, as the microscopic and central mechanism leading to ultrafast skyrmion generation. Our results show that an explicit treatment of itinerant electron dynamics is crucial to understand optical skyrmion generation.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41524-022-00735-5 |
| spellingShingle | Emil Viñas Boström Angel Rubio Claudio Verdozzi Microscopic theory of light-induced ultrafast skyrmion excitation in transition metal films npj Computational Materials |
| title | Microscopic theory of light-induced ultrafast skyrmion excitation in transition metal films |
| title_full | Microscopic theory of light-induced ultrafast skyrmion excitation in transition metal films |
| title_fullStr | Microscopic theory of light-induced ultrafast skyrmion excitation in transition metal films |
| title_full_unstemmed | Microscopic theory of light-induced ultrafast skyrmion excitation in transition metal films |
| title_short | Microscopic theory of light-induced ultrafast skyrmion excitation in transition metal films |
| title_sort | microscopic theory of light induced ultrafast skyrmion excitation in transition metal films |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41524-022-00735-5 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT emilvinasbostrom microscopictheoryoflightinducedultrafastskyrmionexcitationintransitionmetalfilms AT angelrubio microscopictheoryoflightinducedultrafastskyrmionexcitationintransitionmetalfilms AT claudioverdozzi microscopictheoryoflightinducedultrafastskyrmionexcitationintransitionmetalfilms |