Mechanisms for Magnetic Skyrmion Catalysis and Topological Superconductivity

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel method to stabilize magnetic skyrmions without traditional interactions, using flux emergence, and explores their role in realizing topological superconductivity in chiral superconductors on topological insulator surfaces.

Contribution

It presents a new mechanism for skyrmion stabilization based solely on flux, and investigates their potential to induce topological superconductivity in minimal, controllable systems.

Findings

Skyrmions can be stabilized without Dzyaloshinkii-Moriya interaction or external fields.

Coexistence of skyrmion crystals can induce topological superconductivity.

Potential for electrostatically controlled topological devices.

Abstract

We propose an alternative route to stabilize magnetic skyrmion textures which does not require Dzyaloshinkii-Moriya interaction, magnetic anisotropy, or an external Zeeman field. Instead, it solely relies on the emergence of flux in the system's ground state. We discuss scenarios that lead to a nonzero flux, and identify the magnetic skyrmion ground states which become accessible in its presence. Moreover, we explore the chiral superconductors obtained for the surface states of a topological crystalline insulator when two types of magnetic skyrmion crystals coexist with a pairing gap. Our work opens perspectives for engineering topological superconductivity in a minimal fashion, and promises to unearth functional topological materials and devices which may be more compatible with electrostatic control than the currently explored skyrmion-Majorana platforms.