Research

Physical Sciences

Title :

Stabilization of non-trivial magnetic skyrmions from trivial bubbles by helicity locking in centrosymmetric magnets

Area of research :

Physical Sciences

Principal Investigator :

Dr. Ajaya Kumar Nayak, National Institute Of Science Education And Research (NISER), Bhubaneswar, Odisha

Timeline Start Year :

2023

Timeline End Year :

2026

Contact info :

Equipments :

Details

Executive Summary :

Magnetic skyrmions are vortex-like objects with a swirling spin configuration, which can be used in racetrack-based magnetic data storage. They are typically stabilized in chiral magnets with bulk Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI) and multilayer thin films with interfacial DMI. However, most skyrmion hosting bulk materials are found below room temperature, limiting their use in potential devices. This proposal aims to design novel non-trivial topological magnetic skyrmions at room temperature in centrosymmetric magnets. Centrosymmetric magnets cannot host DMI due to the Moriya rule, so the question arises whether they can host magnetic skyrmions. The lack of DMI in these magnets leads to the formation of skyrmions/bubbles with both helicities, making them less stable. To integrate these skyrmions with local inversion center breaking, the proposal proposes introducing heavy elements into the lattice, creating targeted disorder through foreign ion bombardment, and deposited skyrmion hosting centrosymmetric thin films on substrates that provide strain. These designing mechanisms aim to introduce local/global symmetry breaking to the skyrmion hosting centrosymmetric materials, introducing a small DMI in the system. This induced DMI can lock the helicity of the skyrmions. The project will explore non-trivial magnetic ground states by combining bulk skyrmion hosting centrosymmetric materials with heavy metals with different spin orbit coupling strengths. The nanometric form of these materials will be used to introduce defects through ion beam irradiation.

Co-PI:

Dr. Ashok Kumar Mohapatra, National Institute Of Science Education And Research (NISER) Bhubaneswar, Odisha-752050

Total Budget (INR):

45,11,289

Organizations involved