TY  - JOUR
AU  - Heo, Changhoon
AU  - Kiselev, Nikolai
AU  - Nandy, Ashis Kumar
AU  - Blügel, Stefan
AU  - Rasing, Theo
TI  - Switching of chiral magnetic skyrmions by picosecond magnetic field pulses via transient topological states
JO  - Scientific reports
VL  - 6
SN  - 2045-2322
CY  - London
PB  - Nature Publishing Group
M1  - FZJ-2016-03810
SP  - 27146
PY  - 2016
AB  - Magnetic chiral skyrmions are vortex like spin structures that appear as stable or meta-stable states in magnetic materials due to the interplay between the symmetric and antisymmetric exchange interactions, applied magnetic field and/or uniaxial anisotropy. Their small size and internal stability make them prospective objects for data storage but for this, the controlled switching between skyrmion states of opposite polarity and topological charge is essential. Here we present a study of magnetic skyrmion switching by an applied magnetic field pulse based on a discrete model of classical spins and atomistic spin dynamics. We found a finite range of coupling parameters corresponding to the coexistence of two degenerate isolated skyrmions characterized by mutually inverted spin structures with opposite polarity and topological charge. We demonstrate how for a wide range of material parameters a short inclined magnetic field pulse can initiate the reliable switching between these states at GHz rates. Detailed analysis of the switching mechanism revealed the complex path of the system accompanied with the excitation of a chiral-achiral meron pair and the formation of an achiral skyrmion.
LB  - PUB:(DE-HGF)16
UR  - <Go to ISI:>//WOS:000377334800001
C6  - pmid:27273157
DO  - DOI:10.1038/srep27146
UR  - https://juser.fz-juelich.de/record/811322
ER  -