Emergence of zero-field non-synthetic single and interchained antiferromagnetic skyrmions in thin films.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 36450753.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-022-35102-x and PMC identifier 9712615.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Antiferromagnetic (AFM) skyrmions are envisioned as ideal localized topological magnetic bits in future information technologies. In contrast to ferromagnetic (FM) skyrmions, they are immune to the skyrmion Hall effect, might offer potential terahertz dynamics while being insensitive to external magnetic fields and dipolar interactions. Although observed in synthetic AFM structures and as complex meronic textures in intrinsic AFM bulk materials, their realization in non-synthetic AFM films, of crucial importance in racetrack concepts, has been elusive. Here, we unveil their presence in a row-wise AFM Cr film deposited on PdFe bilayer grown on fcc Ir(111) surface. Using first principles, we demonstrate the emergence of single and strikingly interpenetrating chains of AFM skyrmions, which can co-exist with the rich inhomogeneous exchange field, including that of FM skyrmions, hosted by PdFe. Besides the identification of an ideal platform of materials for intrinsic AFM skyrmions, we anticipate the uncovered knotted solitons to be promising building blocks in AFM spintronics.