Deriving the skyrmion Hall angle from skyrmion lattice dynamics

Area of Science:

• Condensed Matter Physics
• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Magnetic skyrmions are topologically protected swirling spin textures with potential for high-density data storage.
• Skyrmion dynamics are governed by topology, leading to phenomena like the skyrmion Hall effect, where motion deviates from applied forces.
• The skyrmion Hall angle, a material constant, is typically measured in individual skyrmions in multilayer systems, not in lattice states.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and demonstrate a novel reciprocal space technique for measuring the skyrmion Hall angle in skyrmion lattice states.
• To quantitatively determine the skyrmion Hall angle in the room-temperature FeGe skyrmion system using the new method.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a reciprocal space technique exploiting the properties of a skyrmion lattice under a shear drive.
• Applied a magnetic field gradient generated by a single-turn Oersted wire to shear the skyrmion lattice.
• Measured the skyrmion Hall angle by analyzing the lattice's response to the shear drive in reciprocal space.

Main Results:

• Successfully demonstrated a quantitative measurement of the skyrmion Hall angle in a skyrmion lattice state.
• Obtained a quantitative skyrmion Hall angle measurement for the room-temperature FeGe system.

Conclusions:

• The developed reciprocal space technique is effective for determining the skyrmion Hall angle in lattice states.
• This method offers a new pathway for characterizing skyrmion dynamics and advancing the development of skyrmion-based technologies.