Magnetic skyrmions can be driven by an applied spin-polarized electron current which exerts a spin-transfer torque on the localized spins constituting the skyrmion. However, the longitudinal dynamics is plagued by the skyrmion Hall effect which causes the skyrmions to acquire a transverse velocity component. We show how to use spin-orbit interaction to control the skyrmion Hall angle and how the interplay of spin-transfer and spin-orbit torques can lead to a complete suppression of the transverse motion. Since the spin-orbit torques can be controlled all-electronically by a gate voltage, the skyrmion motion can be steered all-electronically on a broad racetrack at high speed and conceptually new writing and gating operations can be realized.
@article{arxiv.1902.09521,
title = {Steering of the Skyrmion Hall Angle By Gate Voltage},
author = {J. Plettenberg and M. Stier and M. Thorwart},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1902.09521},
year = {2020}
}
Comments
see ancillary files for Supplemental Material and animations of the switching process