Annealing of skyrmion lattice in van der Waals magnet via field modulation

In atomic solids, annealing transforms disordered structures into ordered crystals through thermal activation, whereas realizing a comparable process in quasiparticle lattices is highly desirable. Magnetic skyrmions are topological spin textures that can form ordered lattice and undergo equilibrium phase transitions, yet thermal activation is insufficient to overcome their kinetic constraints or provide tunable control. Here, we demonstrate field-driven annealing of skyrmions in two-dimensional van der Waals Fe3GaTe2 (FGaT) at room temperature. Oscillating magnetic fields drive the formation of polycrystalline skyrmion lattices, whereas bipolar current pulses generate anisotropic hexatic states through current-induced lattice distortion. Despite distinct external fields, both processes follow similar defect-mediated crystallization dynamics. The annealing is enabled by the interplay between DMI and MA, while the thermodynamics are primarily governed by dipolar interactions. Our findings demonstrate a pathway for annealing control of topological spin textures and establish FGaT as a platform for exploring skyrmion collective behaviour and reconfigurable spintronics. This work demonstrates field-driven annealing of skyrmion lattices in van der Waals Fe3GaTe2. Magnetic-field oscillations and current pulses transform disordered skyrmions into distinct ordered states through a shared defect-mediated collective mechanism.

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Publication Details

Journal
Nature Communications
Published
2026-06-13
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-74219-1
Primary Topic
2D Materials and Applications
Type
article
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article

Annealing of skyrmion lattice in van der Waals magnet via field modulation

Yilian Xi, Haifeng Feng, Weichang Hao, Yan Shi et al.
Nature Communications
2D Materials and Applications
article

Annealing of skyrmion lattice in van der Waals magnet via field modulation

Yilian Xi, Haifeng Feng, Weichang Hao, Yan Shi, Yi Du, Nvsen Ma, Hui Li, Jiaqi Liu, Jingwei Zhang, Yaqi Li, Shilei Zhang, Ting Yu, Hanqing Shi
article en

Abstract

In atomic solids, annealing transforms disordered structures into ordered crystals through thermal activation, whereas realizing a comparable process in quasiparticle lattices is highly desirable. Magnetic skyrmions are topological spin textures that can form ordered lattice and undergo equilibrium phase transitions, yet thermal activation is insufficient to overcome their kinetic constraints or provide tunable control. Here, we demonstrate field-driven annealing of skyrmions in two-dimensional van der Waals Fe3GaTe2 (FGaT) at room temperature. Oscillating magnetic fields drive the formation of polycrystalline skyrmion lattices, whereas bipolar current pulses generate anisotropic hexatic states through current-induced lattice distortion. Despite distinct external fields, both processes follow similar defect-mediated crystallization dynamics. The annealing is enabled by the interplay between DMI and MA, while the thermodynamics are primarily governed by dipolar interactions. Our findings demonstrate a pathway for annealing control of topological spin textures and establish FGaT as a platform for exploring skyrmion collective behaviour and reconfigurable spintronics. This work demonstrates field-driven annealing of skyrmion lattices in van der Waals Fe3GaTe2. Magnetic-field oscillations and current pulses transform disordered skyrmions into distinct ordered states through a shared defect-mediated collective mechanism.

Nature Communications
ShanghaiTech University (CN), Wuhan University (CN), Beijing University of Chemical Technology (CN), Beihang University (CN), Wuhan Institute of Technology (CN)
Openalex Percentile: Top 13%
2D Materials and Applications
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