Spin-transfer and Topological Hall Effects as Novel Probes for Magnetic Disclinations in Frustrated Magnets

TL;DR

This paper proposes using spin-transfer torque and topological Hall effect measurements as novel methods to detect magnetic disclinations and solitons in frustrated magnetic systems, expanding the tools for observing complex topological defects.

Contribution

It introduces a new theoretical framework linking topological defects in frustrated magnets to measurable electronic effects, enabling experimental detection of these defects.

Findings

Identifies a unique contribution of topological defects to spin-transfer and Hall effects.

Develops a minimal low-energy theory for itinerant carriers in noncoplanar magnetic backgrounds.

Suggests new experimental avenues for detecting topological defects beyond conventional ferromagnetic models.

Abstract

Magnetic frustrated systems have resurged in spintronics as optimal candidates for hosting three dimensional topological solitons, such as Shankar skyrmions and 4$\pi$-vortices, and other singular topological defects. These topological excitations are encoded in the order-parameter connected to the spin-spin correlation of the system. The key challenge for their experimental discovery is the lack of probes to observe them. We demonstrate here that spin-transfer torque and topological Hall effect measurements can serve as probes of magnetic disclinations and solitons in these systems, by means of a previously unidentified contribution to them from these topological defects, with no analog in collinear magnetism. We present a minimal low-energy long-wavelength theory for the itinerant carriers and derive the effective emergent electrodynamics arising from the noncoplanar magnetic background with topological defects and solitons. This opens new avenues for the detection of topological defects in magnetic systems with order-parameter manifolds beyond the conventional $S^{2}$ (unit sphere) ferromagnetic paradigm.