Controlled Formation of Skyrmion Bags
Topologically non-trivial magnetic solitons are complex spin textures with a distinct single-particle nature. Although magnetic skyrmions, especially those with unity topological charge, have attracted substantial interest due to their potential applications, more complex topological textures remain largely theoretical. In this work, the stabilization of isolated higher-order skyrmion bags beyond the prototypical π-skyrmion in ferromagnetic thin films is experimentally demonstrate, which has posed considerable challenges to date. Specifically, controlled generation of skyrmionium (2π-skyrmion), target skyrmion (3π-skyrmion), and skyrmion bags (with variable topological charge) are achieved through the introduction of artificially engineered anisotropy defects via local ion irradiation. They act as preferential sites for the field- or laser-induced nucleation of skyrmion bags. Remarkably, ultrafast laser pulses achieve a substantially higher conversion rate transforming skyrmions into higher-order skyrmion bags compared to their formation driven by magnetic fields. High-resolution x-ray imaging enables direct observation of the resulting skyrmion bags. Complementary micromagnetic simulations reveal the pivotal role of defect geometry-particularly diameter-in stabilizing closed-loop domain textures. The findings not only broaden the experimental horizon for skyrmion research, but also suggest strategies for exploiting complex topological spin textures within a unified material platform for practical applications.
Authors
- Felix Büttner (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6204-9948)
- Stefan Eisebitt (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7608-5061)
- Michael Schneider (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7377-7767)
- C. Günther (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3750-7556)
- I. Will
- Christopher Klose (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3072-3499)
- Steffen Wittrock (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9211-6777)
- Vladyslav M. Kuchkin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3119-320X)
- Lisa‐Marie Kern (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9781-9132)
- Dieter Engel (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9255-9554)
- T. Karaman
- Bastian Pfau (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9057-0346)
- Kathinka Gerlinger (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4612-3431)
- Sebastian Wintz (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6138-8078)
- Riccardo Battistelli (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0516-0209)
- Katja Höflich
- Victor Deinhart (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9079-8823)
- Themistoklis P. H. Sidiropoulos (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3305-3750)
- Markus Weigand (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0325-2268)
- Manfred Auer
- Simon Gaebel
Institutions
- University of Augsburg (DE)
- University of Luxembourg (LU)
- Ferdinand-Braun-Institut (DE)
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie (DE)
- Max-Born-Institute for Nonlinear Optics and Short Pulse Spectroscopy (DE)
- Technische Universität Berlin (DE)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Advanced Materials
- Published
- 2025-04-21
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202501250
- Citations
- 6
- Primary Topic
- Magnetic properties of thin films
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 7.48
Funders
- Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
- Fonds National de la Recherche Luxembourg
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie
- Leibniz-Gemeinschaft