Ultrafast generation of skyrmionic defects with vortex beams: printing laser profiles on magnets

TL;DR

This paper proposes a theoretical method to rapidly generate skyrmionic magnetic defects in chiral magnets using vortex beams, offering a new ultrafast approach for topological defect creation in spintronics.

Contribution

It introduces a novel application of vortex beams to create skyrmions and related defects in magnetic materials, expanding the control of magnetic topological structures.

Findings

Vortex beams induce ring-shaped magnetic defects called skyrmion multiplex.

Optimal beam parameters are identified for defect creation.

The method applies to both metallic and insulating chiral magnets.

Abstract

Controlling electric and magnetic properties of matter by laser beams is actively explored in the broad region of condensed matter physics, including spintronics and magneto-optics. Here we theoretically propose an application of optical and electron vortex beams carrying intrinsic orbital angular momentum to chiral ferro- and antiferro- magnets. We analyze the time evolution of spins in chiral magnets under irradiation of vortex beams, by using the stochastic Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert equation. We show that beam-driven nonuniform temperature lead to a class of ring-shaped magnetic defects, what we call skyrmion multiplex, as well as conventional skyrmions. We discuss the proper beam parameters and the optimal way of applying the beams for the creation of these topological defects. Our findings provide an ultrafast scheme of generating topological magnetic defects in a way applicable to both metallic and insulating chiral (anti-) ferromagnets.