No Arabic abstract
Skyrmions are topological spin textures of interest for fundamental science and applications. Previous theoretical studies have focused on systems with broken bulk inversion symmetry, where skyrmions are stabilized by easy-axis anisotropy. We investigate here systems that break surface inversion symmetry, in addition to possible broken bulk inversion. This leads to two distinct Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya (DM) terms with strengths $D_perp$, arising from Rashba spin-orbit coupling (SOC), and $D_parallel$ from Dresselhaus SOC. We show that skyrmions become progressively more stable with increasing $D_perp/D_parallel$, extending into the regime of easy-plane anisotropy. We find that the spin texture and topological charge density of skyrmions develops nontrivial spatial structure, with quantized topological charge in a unit cell given by a Chern number. Our results give a design principle for tuning Rashba SOC and magnetic anisotropy to stabilize skyrmions in thin films, surfaces, interfaces and bulk magnetic materials that break mirror symmetry.
Recent developments have led to an explosion of activity on skyrmions in three-dimensional (3D) chiral magnets. Experiments have directly probed these topological spin textures, revealed their nontrivial properties, and led to suggestions for novel applications. However, in 3D the skyrmion crystal phase is observed only in a narrow region of the temperature-field phase diagram. We show here, using a general analysis based on symmetry, that skyrmions are much more readily stabilized in two-dimensional (2D) systems with Rashba spin-orbit coupling. This enhanced stability arises from the competition between field and easy-plane magnetic anisotropy and results in a nontrivial structure in the topological charge density in the core of the skyrmions. We further show that, in a variety of microscopic models for magnetic exchange, the required easy-plane anisotropy naturally arises from the same spin-orbit coupling that is responsible for the chiral Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interactions. Our results are of particular interest for 2D materials like thin films, surfaces, and oxide interfaces, where broken surface-inversion symmetry and Rashba spin-orbit coupling naturally lead to chiral exchange and easy-plane compass anisotropy. Our theory gives a clear direction for experimental studies of 2D magnetic materials to stabilize skyrmions over a large range of magnetic fields down to T=0.
In this work, we investigate the possible dramatic effects of Rashba or Dresselhaus spin-orbit coupling (SOC) on fermionic Hubbard model in a 2d square lattice. In the strong coupling limit, it leads to the Rotated Anti-ferromagnetic Heisenberg model which is a new class of quantum spin model. For a special equivalent class, we identify a new spin-orbital entangled commensurate ground ( Y-y ) state subject to strong quantum fluctuations at $T=0$. We evaluate the quantum fluctuations by the spin wave expansion up to order $ 1/S^2 $. In some SOC parameter regime, the Y-y state supports a massive relativistic in-commensurate magnon ( C-IC ) with its two gap minima positions continuously tuned by the SOC parameters. The C-IC magnons dominate all the low temperature thermodynamic quantities and also lead to the separation of the peak positions between the longitudinal and the transverse spin structure factors. In the weak coupling limit, any weak repulsive interaction also leads to a weak Y-y state. There is only a crossover from the weak to the strong coupling. High temperature expansions of the specific heats in both weak and strong coupling are presented. The dramatic roles to be played by these C-IC magnons at generic SOC parameters or under various external probes are hinted. Experimental applications to both layered noncentrosymmetric materials and cold atom are discussed.
Using chiral decomposition, we are able to find analytically the zero modes and the conditions for such modes to exist in the Kitaev ladder model and superconducting nanowires with Dresselhaus spin-orbit coupling. As a result, we are able to calculate the number of zero modes in these systems for arbitrary given parameters in the semi-infinite limit. Moreover, we find that when suitable resonance condition is satisfied exact zero modes exist even in finite systems contrary to the common belief.
Recently, topological superconductors based on Josephson junctions in two-dimensional electron gases with strong Rashba spin-orbit coupling have been proposed as attractive alternatives to wire-based setups. Here, we elucidate how phase-controlled Josephson junctions based on quantum wells with [001] growth direction and an arbitrary combination of Rashba and Dresselhaus spin-orbit coupling can also host Majorana bound states for a wide range of parameters as long as the magnetic field is oriented appropriately. Hence, Majorana bound states based on Josephson junctions can appear in a wide class of two-dimensional electron gases. We study the effect of spin-orbit coupling, the Zeeman energies, and the superconducting phase difference to create a full topological phase diagram and find the optimal stability region to observe Majorana bound states in narrow junctions. Surprisingly, for equal Rashba and Dresselhaus spin-orbit coupling, well localized Majorana bound states can appear only for phase differences $phi eqpi$ as the topological gap protecting the Majorana bound states vanishes at $phi=pi$. Our results show that the ratio between Rashba and Dresselhaus spin-orbit coupling or the choice of the in-plane crystallographic axis along which the superconducting phase bias is applied offer additional tunable knobs to test Majorana bound states in these systems. Finally, we discuss signatures of Majorana bound states that could be probed experimentally by tunneling conductance measurements at the edge of the junction.
Tunneling experiment is a key technique for detecting Majorana fermion in solid state systems. We use Keldysh non-equilibrium Green function method to study multi-lead tunneling in superconducting nanowire with Rashba and Dresselhaus spin-orbit couplings. A zero-bias textit{dc} conductance peak appears in our setup which signifies the existence of Majorana fermion and is in accordance with previous experimental results on InSb nanowire. Interestingly, due to the exotic property of Majorana fermion, there exists a hole transmission channel which makes the currents asymmetric at the left and right leads. The textit{ac} current response mediated by Majorana fermion is also studied here. To discuss the impacts of Coulomb interaction and disorder on the transport property of Majorana nanowire, we use the renormalization group method to study the phase diagram of the wire. It is found that there is a topological phase transition under the interplay of superconductivity and disorder. We find that the Majorana transport is preserved in the superconducting-dominated topological phase and destroyed in the disorder-dominated non-topological insulator phase.