Skyrmion Lattice Domain Formation in a Non-Flat Energy Landscape

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates how tuning the energy landscape with magnetic field oscillations can control skyrmion lattice order, revealing insights into domain formation and 2D phase behavior in magnetic thin films.

Contribution

It introduces a method to directly control skyrmion lattice order by tuning the energy landscape using magnetic field oscillations, combining experiments and simulations.

Findings

Magnetic field oscillations effectively tune skyrmion lattice order.

Pinning effects influence domain boundary formation and evolution.

The approach provides a pathway to study emergent 2D phase behavior.

Abstract

Magnetic skyrmions are chiral spin structures with non-trivial topology that comprise two-dimensional quasi-particles and are promising information carriers for data storage and processing devices. Skyrmion lattices in magnetic thin films exhibit Kosterlitz-Thouless-Halperin-Nelson-Young (KTHNY) phase transitions and have garnered significant interest for studying emergent 2D phase behavior. In experimental skyrmion lattices, the main factor limiting the quasi-long-range order in thin films has been the non-flat energy landscape - often referred to as pinning effects. We demonstrate direct control of the skyrmion lattice order by effectively tuning the energy landscape employing magnetic field oscillations. By quantifying lattice order and dynamics, we explore how domain boundaries form and evolve due to pinning effects in Kerr microscopy experiments and in Brownian dynamics simulations, offering a pathway to control and study emergent skyrmion lattice properties and 2D phase behavior.