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Register a new userRole of higher-order exchange interactions for skyrmion stability
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Transition-metal interfaces and multilayers are a very promising class of systems to realize nanometer-sized, stable magnetic skyrmions for future spintronic devices. For room temperature applications it is crucial to understand the interactions which control the stability of isolated skyrmions. Typically, skyrmion properties are explained by the interplay of pair-wise exchange interactions, the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction and the magnetocrystalline anisotropy energy. Here, we demonstrate that higher-order exchange interactions -- which have so far been neglected -- can play a key role for the stability of skyrmions. We use an atomistic spin model parametrized from first-principles and compare three different ultrathin film systems. We consider all fourth order exchange interactions and show that in particular the four-site four spin interaction has a giant effect on the energy barrier preventing skyrmion and antiskyrmion collapse into the ferromagnetic state. Our work opens new perspectives to enhance the stability of topological spin structures.
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Magnetism in recently discovered van der Waals materials has opened new avenues in the study of fundamental spin interactions in truly two-dimensions. A paramount question is what effect higher-order interactions beyond bilinear Heisenberg exchange have on the magnetic properties of few-atom thick compounds. Here we demonstrate that biquadratic exchange interactions, which is the simplest and most natural form of non-Heisenberg coupling, assume a key role in the magnetic properties of layered magnets. Using a combination of nonperturbative analytical techniques, non-collinear first-principles methods and classical Monte Carlo calculations that incorporate higher-order exchange, we show that several quantities including magnetic anisotropies, spin-wave gaps and topological spin-excitations are intrinsically renormalized leading to further thermal stability of the layers. We develop a spin Hamiltonian that also contains antisymmetric exchanges (e.g. Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interactions) to successfully rationalize numerous observations currently under debate, such as the non-Ising character of several compounds despite a strong magnetic anisotropy, peculiarities of the magnon spectrum of 2D magnets, and the discrepancy between measured and calculated Curie temperatures. Our results lay the foundation of a universal higher-order exchange theory for novel 2D magnetic design strategies.
Skyrmions are localized, topologically non-trivial spin structures which have raised high hopes for future spintronic applications. A key issue is skyrmion stability with respect to annihilation into the ferromagnetic state. Energy barriers for this collapse have been calculated taking only nearest neighbor exchange interactions into account. Here, we demonstrate that exchange interactions beyond nearest neighbors can be essential to describe stability of skyrmionic spin structures. We focus on the prototypical film system Pd/Fe/Ir(111) and demonstrate that an effective nearest-neighbor exchange or micromagnetic model can only account for equilibrium properties such as the skyrmion profile or the zero temperature phase diagram. However, energy barriers and critical fields of skyrmion collapse as well as skyrmion lifetimes are drastically underestimated since the energy of the transition state cannot be accurately described. Antiskyrmions are not even metastable. Our work shows that frustration of exchange interactions is a route towards enhanced skyrmion stability even in systems with a ferromagnetic ground state.
The physical origin of the so-called chirality-induced spin selectivity (CISS) effect has puzzled experimental and theoretical researchers over the past few years. Early experiments were interpreted in terms of unconventional spin-orbit interactions mediated by the helical geometry. However, more recent experimental studies have clearly revealed that electronic exchange interactions also play a key role in the magnetic response of chiral molecules in singlet states. In this investigation, we use spin-polarized closed shell density functional theory calculations to address the influence of exchange contributions to the interaction between helical molecules as well as of helical molecules with magnetized substrates. We show that exchange effects result in differences in the interaction properties with magnetized surfaces, shedding light into the possible origin of two recent important experimental results: enantiomer separation and magnetic exchange force microscopy with AFM tips functionalized with helical peptides.
Magnetic skyrmions are localized swirls of magnetization with a non-trivial topological winding number. This winding increases their robustness to superparamagnetism and gives rise to a myriad of novel dynamical properties, making them attractive as next-generation information carriers. Recently the equation of motion for a skyrmion was derived using the approach pioneered by Thiele, allowing for macroscopic skyrmion systems to be modeled efficiently. This powerful technique suffers from the prerequisite that one must have a priori knowledge of the functional form of the interaction between a skyrmion and all other magnetic structures in its environment. Here we attempt to alleviate this problem by providing a simple analytic expression which can generate arbitrary repulsive interaction potentials from the micromagnetic Hamiltonian. We also discuss a toy model of the radial profile of a skyrmion which is accurate for a wide range of material parameters.
Three-dimensional topological (crystalline) insulators are materials with an insulating bulk, but conducting surface states which are topologically protected by time-reversal (or spatial) symmetries. Here, we extend the notion of three-dimensional topological insulators to systems that host no gapless surface states, but exhibit topologically protected gapless hinge states. Their topological character is protected by spatio-temporal symmetries, of which we present two cases: (1) Chiral higher-order topological insulators protected by the combination of time-reversal and a four-fold rotation symmetry. Their hinge states are chiral modes and the bulk topology is $mathbb{Z}_2$-classified. (2) Helical higher-order topological insulators protected by time-reversal and mirror symmetries. Their hinge states come in Kramers pairs and the bulk topology is $mathbb{Z}$-classified. We provide the topological invariants for both cases. Furthermore we show that SnTe as well as surface-modified Bi$_2$TeI, BiSe, and BiTe are helical higher-order topological insulators and propose a realistic experimental setup to detect the hinge states.
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