Ultrafast nanoscale magnetic switching via intense picosecond electron bunches

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that intense picosecond electron pulses can rapidly switch magnetization and generate spin excitations in nanoscale magnetic structures, enabling controlled creation of magnetic textures like skyrmions.

Contribution

It introduces a novel method for ultrafast, localized magnetic switching and skyrmion imprinting using intense electron pulses, with tunable excitation characteristics.

Findings

Magnetic switching occurs within picoseconds.

Skyrmions can be imprinted with controlled properties.

Excitation spectra are tunable via pulse parameters.

Abstract

The magnetic field associated with a picosecond intense electron pulse is shown to switch locally the magnetization of extended films and nanostructures and to ignite locally spin waves excitations. Also, topologically protected magnetic textures such as skyrmions can be imprinted swiftly in a sample with a residual Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya spin-orbital coupling. Characteristics of the created excitations such as the topological charge or the width of the magnon spectrum can be steered via the duration and the strength of the electron pulses. The study points to a possible way for a spatiotemporally controlled generation of magnetic and skyrmionic excitations.