Skyrmion behavior in attractive-repulsive square array of pinning centers

Area of Science:

• Condensed Matter Physics
• Materials Science

Background:

• Magnetic skyrmions are topologically protected spin textures with potential for data storage.
• Controlling skyrmion dynamics is essential for device applications.
• Pinning sites significantly influence skyrmion behavior.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the driven dynamics of a single skyrmion in a mixed pinning site landscape.
• To understand how attractive and repulsive defects affect skyrmion trajectories.
• To provide design guidelines for skyrmion-based devices.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a particle-based model to simulate skyrmion motion.
• Analyzed skyrmion dynamics in a square lattice with coexisting attractive and repulsive pinning sites.
• Mapped defect strengths and sizes to observe their impact on skyrmion behavior.

Main Results:

• Mixed pinning sites induce directional locking at specific angles (e.g., -45°).
• Weaker attraction reduces depinning thresholds, while stronger repulsion stabilizes locking plateaus.
• Combinations of defect strengths and sizes allow fine-tuning of skyrmion trajectories and Hall response.

Conclusions:

• Mixed pinning offers a practical method to control skyrmion motion.
• The study provides insights into optimizing skyrmion-based memory and logic devices.
• Defect engineering is key to harnessing skyrmion properties for technological applications.