Magnetic particle-antiparticle creation and annihilation

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates the experimental creation and annihilation of skyrmion-antiskyrmion pairs in a thin magnetic film, confirming theoretical predictions and opening new avenues for studying particle-antiparticle analogs in magnetic materials.

Contribution

First experimental observation of magnetic skyrmion-antiskyrmion pair creation and annihilation in a chiral magnet, validated by simulations.

Findings

Reproducible creation and annihilation of skyrmion pairs

Consistent experimental results with micromagnetic simulations

Potential for fundamental particle-antiparticle studies in magnetic solids

Abstract

A fundamental property of particles and antiparticles, such as electrons and positrons, is their ability to annihilate one another. Similar behavior is predicted for magnetic solitons -- localized spin textures that can be distinguished by their topological index $Q$. Theoretically, magnetic topological solitons with opposite values of $Q$, such as skyrmions and their antiparticles -- antiskyrmions -- are expected to be able to merge continuously and to annihilate. However, experimental verification of such particle-antiparticle pair production and annihilation processes has been lacking. Here, we report the creation and annihilation of skyrmion-antiskyrmion pairs in an exceptionally thin film of the cubic chiral magnet B20-type FeGe observed using transmission electron microscopy. Our observations are highly reproducible and are fully consistent with micromagnetic simulations. Our findings provide a new platform for fundamental studies of particles and antiparticles based on magnetic solids and open new perspectives for practical applications of thin films of isotropic chiral magnets.