Electric-field guiding of magnetic skyrmions

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates how electric fields can be used to control magnetic skyrmions' properties and motion in thin films, enabling low-energy, electrically tunable skyrmion-based information processing devices.

Contribution

It introduces a theoretical framework and simulations showing electric-field control of skyrmion behavior, including motion and energy landscape manipulation.

Findings

Electric fields modify skyrmion equilibrium properties.

Electric-field-controlled anisotropy influences skyrmion motion.

Gates for skyrmion control exhibit transistor-like functions.

Abstract

We theoretically study equilibrium and dynamic properties of nanosized magnetic skyrmions in thin magnetic films with broken inversion symmetry, where electric field couples to magnetization via spin-orbit coupling. Based on a symmetry-based phenomenology and micromagnetic simulations we show that this electric-field coupling, via renormalizing the micromagnetic energy, modifies the equilibrium properties of the skyrmion. This change, in turn, results in a significant alteration of the current-induced skyrmion motion. Particularly, speed and direction of the skyrmion can be manipulated by designing a desired energy landscape electrically, which we describe within Thiele's analytical model and demonstrate in micromagnetic simulations including electric-field-controlled magnetic anisotropy. We additionally use this electric-field control to construct gates for controlling skyrmion motion exhibiting a transistor-like and multiplexer-like function. The proposed electric-field effect can thus provide a low energy electrical knob to extend the reach of information processing with skyrmions.