Theoretical Investigation of Skyrmion Dynamics in Pt/Co/MgO Nanodots.

In this article, we present a numerical study on stabilization and eigenmodes of the so-called skyrmion chiral spin texture in nanometric dots. The first aim of this study is to identify the appropriate multilayer in a set of Pt/Co/MgO structures with different Co thicknesses that have been previously experimentally characterized. Stabilization occurs if the energy favoring skyrmions is greater than the geometric mean of the exchange and anisotropy energies. Both the energy favoring skyrmions and the anisotropy contribution depend on the Co thickness. The appropriate multilayer is obtained for a specific Co thickness. MuMax simulations are used to calculate the precise static magnetization configuration for the experimental parameters, allowing us select the appropriate structure. Moreover, in view of experimental study of skyrmion dynamics by means of Brillouin light scattering, the eigenfrequency, eigenmode profile, and spectral density are calculated for different dot sizes. Finally, the optimal dot size that allows for a feasible experiment is obtained.

Gate-controlled skyrmion and domain wall chirality.

Magnetic skyrmions are localized chiral spin textures, which offer great promise to store and process information at the nanoscale. In the presence of asymmetric exchange interactions, their chirality, which governs their dynamics, is generally considered as an intrinsic parameter set during the sample deposition. In this work, we experimentally demonstrate that a gate voltage can control this key parameter. We probe the chirality of skyrmions and chiral domain walls by observing the direction of their current-induced motion and show that a gate voltage can reverse it. This local and dynamical reversal of the chirality is due to a sign inversion of the interfacial Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction that we attribute to ionic migration of oxygen under gate voltage. Micromagnetic simulations show that the chirality reversal is a continuous transformation, in which the skyrmion is conserved. This control of chirality with 2-3 V gate voltage can be used for skyrmion-based logic devices, yielding new functionalities.