Dynamic transition of current-driven single-skyrmion motion in a room-temperature chiral-lattice magnet

• Published in: Nature communications Vol. 12; no. 1; p. 6797
• Main Authors: Peng, Licong, Karube, Kosuke, Taguchi, Yasujiro, Nagaosa, Naoto, Tokura, Yoshinori, Yu, Xiuzhen
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 24.11.2021; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 147/143; 639/301/119/2792; 639/766/119/1001; Current pulses; Data processing; Electric currents; Electrons; Heterostructures; Humanities and Social Sciences; Hypothetical particles; Information processing; Low temperature; multidisciplinary; Particle theory; Room temperature; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Thin films; Topology; Tracking control; Transmission electron microscopy
• ISSN: 2041-1723; 2041-1723
• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-27073-2

Driving and controlling single-skyrmion motion promises skyrmion-based spintronic applications. Recently progress has been made in moving skyrmionic bubbles in thin-film heterostructures and low-temperature chiral skyrmions in the FeGe helimagnet by electric current. Here, we report the motion tracking and control of a single skyrmion at room temperature in the chiral-lattice magnet Co 9 Zn 9 Mn 2 using nanosecond current pulses. We have directly observed that the skyrmion Hall motion reverses its direction upon the reversal of skyrmion topological number using Lorentz transmission electron microscopy. Systematic measurements of the single-skyrmion trace as a function of electric current reveal a dynamic transition from the static pinned state to the linear flow motion via a creep event, in agreement with the theoretical prediction. We have clarified the role of skyrmion pinning and evaluated the intrinsic skyrmion Hall angle and the skyrmion velocity in the course of the dynamic transition. Our results pave a way to skyrmion applications in spintronic devices. Skyrmions, topological spin textures, have attracted interest for use in spin-based information processing. Here, Peng et al analyse the current driven motion of a single skyrmion at room temperature in a chiral-lattice magnet, tracking the motion using Lorentz transmission electron microscopy.