Quantum States of a Skyrmion in a 2D Antiferromagnet

TL;DR

This paper investigates the quantum behavior of skyrmions in a 2D antiferromagnet, revealing discrete energy levels and transition mechanisms, which could enable experimental detection of skyrmion quantization.

Contribution

It introduces a quantization approach for skyrmion states in a lattice, replacing classical collapse with quantum transitions between energy levels.

Findings

Quantized energy levels of skyrmions are identified.

Transition rates due to magnon emission are calculated.

Potential methods for detecting skyrmion quantization are discussed.

Abstract

Quantum states of a skyrmion in a 2D antiferromagnetic lattice are obtained by quantizing the scaling parameter of Belavin-Polyakov model. Skyrmion classical collapse due to violation of the translational invariance of the continuous spin-field model by the lattice is replaced in quantum mechanics by transitions between discrete energy levels of the skyrmion. Rates of transitions due to the emission of magnons are computed. Ways of detecting quantization of skyrmion states are discussed.