Dipolar-stabilized first and second-order antiskyrmions in ferrimagnetic multilayers

• Published in: Nature communications Vol. 12; no. 1; p. 2611
• Main Authors: Heigl, Michael, Koraltan, Sabri, Vaňatka, Marek, Kraft, Robert, Abert, Claas, Vogler, Christoph, Semisalova, Anna, Che, Ping, Ullrich, Aladin, Schmidt, Timo, Hintermayr, Julian, Grundler, Dirk, Farle, Michael, Urbánek, Michal, Suess, Dieter, Albrecht, Manfred
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 10.05.2021; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 147/143; 639/301/119/997; 639/766/119/1001; 639/766/119/2793; Anisotropy; Dipole interactions; Elementary excitations; Gadolinium; Humanities and Social Sciences; Hypothetical particles; Magnetic anisotropy; Magnetic dipoles; Magnetic fields; Magnetic properties; Magnetic saturation; Magnetism; Material properties; multidisciplinary; Multilayers; Particle theory; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Transmission electron microscopy; Vorticity
• ISSN: 2041-1723; 2041-1723
• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-22600-7

Skyrmions and antiskyrmions are topologically protected spin structures with opposite vorticities. Particularly in coexisting phases, these two types of magnetic quasi-particles may show fascinating physics and potential for spintronic devices. While skyrmions are observed in a wide range of materials, until now antiskyrmions were exclusive to materials with D 2d symmetry. In this work, we show first and second-order antiskyrmions stabilized by magnetic dipole–dipole interaction in Fe/Gd-based multilayers. We modify the magnetic properties of the multilayers by Ir insertion layers. Using Lorentz transmission electron microscopy imaging, we observe coexisting antiskyrmions, Bloch skyrmions, and type-2 bubbles and determine the range of material properties and magnetic fields where the different spin objects form and dissipate. We perform micromagnetic simulations to obtain more insight into the studied system and conclude that the reduction of saturation magnetization and uniaxial magnetic anisotropy leads to the existence of this zoo of different spin objects and that they are primarily stabilized by dipolar interaction. Antiskyrmions are topological spin textures with negative vorticity. Like skyrmions, they have considerable technological promise, but have only been stabilised in Heusler compounds. Here, Heigl et al. succeed in stabilising first and second order antiskyrmions in a new class of materials.