Voltage controlled core reversal of fixed magnetic skyrmions without a magnetic field

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates voltage-controlled core reversal of fixed magnetic skyrmions using micromagnetic simulations, enabling reversible switching between multiple magnetic states without magnetic fields or current-induced skyrmion motion.

Contribution

The study introduces a method to reversibly switch fixed skyrmion states via electric field modulation of magnetic anisotropy, eliminating the need for magnetic fields or current-driven skyrmion movement.

Findings

Reversible switching between skyrmion and ferromagnetic states achieved.

Voltage control modulates perpendicular magnetic anisotropy effectively.

Potential for energy-efficient magnetic memory and logic devices.

Abstract

Using micromagnetic simulations we demonstrate core reversal of a fixed magnetic skyrmion by modulating the perpendicular magnetic anisotropy of a nanomagnet with an electric field. We can switch reversibly between two skyrmion states and two ferromagnetic states, i.e. skyrmion states with the magnetization of the core pointing down/up and periphery pointing up/down, and ferromagnetic states with magnetization pointing up/down, by sequential increase and decrease of the perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. The switching between these states is explained by the fact that the spin texture corresponding to each of these stable states minimizes the sum of the magnetic anisotropy, demagnetization, Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI) and exchange energies. This could lead to the possibility of energy efficient nanomagnetic memory and logic devices implemented with fixed skyrmions without using a magnetic field and without moving skyrmions with a current.