Magnetic skyrmions are chiral spin structures with non-trivial topology that comprise two-dimensional quasi-particles and are promising information carriers for data storage and processing devices. Skyrmion lattices in magnetic thin films exhibit Kosterlitz-Thouless-Halperin-Nelson-Young (KTHNY) phase transitions and have garnered significant interest for studying emergent 2D phase behavior. In experimental skyrmion lattices, the main factor limiting the quasi-long-range order in thin films has been the non-flat energy landscape - often referred to as pinning effects. We demonstrate direct control of the skyrmion lattice order by effectively tuning the energy landscape employing magnetic field oscillations. By quantifying lattice order and dynamics, we explore how domain boundaries form and evolve due to pinning effects in Kerr microscopy experiments and in Brownian dynamics simulations, offering a pathway to control and study emergent skyrmion lattice properties and 2D phase behavior.
@article{arxiv.2508.12988,
title = {Skyrmion Lattice Domain Formation in a Non-Flat Energy Landscape},
author = {Raphael Gruber and Jan Rothörl and Simon M. Fröhlich and Maarten A. Brems and Tobias Sparmann and Fabian Kammerbauer and Maria-Andromachi Syskaki and Elizabeth M. Jefremovas and Sachin Krishnia and Asle Sudbø and Peter Virnau and Mathias Kläui},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2508.12988},
year = {2026}
}