Topological phase transitions by time-dependent electromagnetic fields in frustrated magnets: Role of dynamical and static magnetic fields

TL;DR

This paper explores how time-dependent electromagnetic fields can induce and control topological skyrmion crystal phases in frustrated magnets, revealing distinct phase transitions and stabilization mechanisms.

Contribution

It introduces a theoretical framework for manipulating skyrmion phases using dynamic electromagnetic fields, highlighting new stabilization mechanisms and control strategies.

Findings

Different electromagnetic field setups produce distinct skyrmion crystal phases.

Field-induced interactions stabilize skyrmions without heating effects.

Timing of field application affects skyrmion stability regions.

Abstract

We theoretically investigate the effects of time-dependent electromagnetic fields on frustrated magnets with the spatial inversion symmetry. Two types of external-field setups are considered: One is a circularly polarized electromagnetic field and the other is a combination of a circularly polarized electric field and a static magnetic field. The system is modeled by a classical frustrated Heisenberg model on a triangular lattice, whose ground state is a single-$Q$ spiral spin configuration. The effects of irradiated electric and magnetic fields are taken into account by the inverse Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya (DM) interaction and the Zeeman coupling, respectively, without heating effects. By numerically solving the Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert equation, we find that the two field configurations lead to distinct skyrmion crystal (SkX) phases and their associated topological phase transitions: in the former setup, SkXs composed of skyrmions with skyrmion numbers of one and two with opposite signs emerge, whereas in the latter setup, SkXs with the same sign appear. The stabilization mechanisms of these SkXs are accounted for by the competition among electromagnetic-field-induced chiral DM interactions, electric-field-induced three-spin interactions, and the Zeeman coupling based on the high-frequency expansion within the Floquet formalism. Furthermore, for the latter setup, we find that the stability region of the SkX phase varies significantly depending on the timing of the application of the circularly polarized electric field and the static magnetic field. Our findings would broaden the possible routes to generate and control SkXs by time-dependent electromagnetic fields, advancing both the theoretical comprehension and experimental control of topological spin crystals.