Creating an artificial two-dimensional Skyrmion crystal by nanopatterning
L. Sun, R. X. Cao, B. F. Miao, Z. Feng, B. You, D. Wu, W. Zhang, An Hu, and H. F. Ding
Accepted
A skyrmion crystal typically arises from helical spin structures induced by the Dzyaloshinskii���Moriya interaction. Experimentally its physical exploration has been impeded because it is a rarity and is found only within a narrow temperature and magnetic field range. We present a method for the assembly of a two-dimensional skyrmion crystal based upon a combination of a perpendicularly magnetized film and nano-patterned arrays of magnetic vortices that are geometrically confined within nano-disks. The practical feasibility of the method is validated by micromagnetic simulations and computed skyrmion number per unit cell. We also quantify a wide range in temperature and field strength over which the skyrmion crystal can be stabilized without the need for any intrinsic Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interactions, which otherwise is needed to underpin the arrangement as is the case in the very few known skyrmion crystal cases. Thus, our suggested scheme involves a qualitative breakthrough which comes with a substantial quantitative advance.