Dynamics and inertia of skyrmions

Dynamics and inertia of skyrmionic spin structures.

Felix Büttner, C. Moutafis, M. Schneider3, B. Krüger1, C. M. Günther3, J. Geilhufe5, C. v. Kor Schmising3, J. Mohanty3‡, B. Pfau3, S. Scha ert3, A. Bisig1, M. Foerster1, T. Schulz1, C. A. F. Vaz1,6, J. H. Franken7, H. J. M. Swagten7, M. Kläui and S. Eisebitt

Nature Physics 11, 225 (2015)

Illustration of the topology of skyrmionic spin structures with a disk-shaped domain space.b, A magnetic bubble, which covers the sphere exactly once (N = 1). The poles are mapped to extended areas (the inner and outer domains). Hence, all spins at the boundary of the domain space point in the same direction, which confines the inner domain and the domain wall. This is the structure investigated in the present work. c, A chiral skyrmion, which has a different radial distribution from that of the bubble⁵. Topologically, however, both are the same, as the bubble can be obtained from the chiral skyrmion by expanding its inner domain. d, A hedgehog skyrmion, which is again topologically equivalent to the other figures. The hedgehog skyrmion can be continuously deformed to the chiral skyrmion by rotating all spins by 90° around an axis normal to the plane.