TY  - JOUR
AU  - Lima Fernandes, Imara
AU  - Bouaziz, Juba
AU  - Blügel, Stefan
AU  - Lounis, Samir
TI  - Universality of defect-skyrmion interaction profiles
JO  - Nature Communications
VL  - 9
IS  - 1
SN  - 2041-1723
CY  - [London]
PB  - Nature Publishing Group UK
M1  - FZJ-2018-05996
SP  - 4395
PY  - 2018
AB  - Magnetic skyrmions are prime candidates for future spintronic devices. However, incorporating them as information carriers hinges on their interaction with defects ubiquitous in any device. Here we map from first-principles, the energy profile of single skyrmions interacting with single-atom impurities, establishing a generic shape as function of the defect’s electron filling. Depending on their chemical nature, foreign 3d and 4d transition metal adatoms or surface implanted defects can either repel or pin skyrmions in PdFe/Ir(111) thin films, which we relate to the degree of filling of bonding and anti-bonding electronic states inherent to the proximity of the non-collinear magnetic structure. Similarities with key concepts of bond theories in catalysis and surface sciences imbue the universality of the shape of the interaction profile and the potential of predicting its interaction. The resulting fundamental understanding may give guidance for the design of devices with surface implanted defects to generate and control skyrmions.
LB  - PUB:(DE-HGF)16
C6  - pmid:30348995
UR  - <Go to ISI:>//WOS:000447841800008
DO  - DOI:10.1038/s41467-018-06827-5
UR  - https://juser.fz-juelich.de/record/856630
ER  -