arXiv subjects

Pavel F. Bessarab

Publications and source records attributed to Pavel F. Bessarab.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Harnessing the skyrmion Hall effect for low-power skyrmion transport in a tubular synthetic antiferromagnet

We show that optimal control can turn the skyrmion Hall effect from a source of typically unwanted transverse motion into a mechanism for reducing Ohmic losses in skyrmion transport. We consider a pair of antiferromagnetically coupled skyrmions confined to a tubular geometry, where their relative transverse displacement becomes a periodic internal coordinate. The skyrmion Hall effect drives this coordinate, while finite interlayer coupling makes the resulting relation between applied current and longitudinal velocity nonlinear, allowing different current protocols to produce the same prescribed average velocity. We determine which of these protocols minimizes Joule heating. Depending on the interlayer coupling and spin-transfer-torque parameters, the optimal current is either constant, with the skyrmion pair maintaining a fixed relative position, or time dependent, with the pair undergoing periodic relative motion around the tube. In either case, the additional internal degree of freedom created by the skyrmion Hall effect and interlayer coupling enables skyrmion transport at a lower power than in the uncoupled limit.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2025

Network of localized magnetic textures revealed using a saddle-point search framework

A computational framework is presented for the sampling of the energy surface of magnetic systems via the systematic identification of first-order saddle points that determine connectivity of metastable states and define the mechanisms of transitions between them. The framework combines four stages: first, the symmetry of a given minimum-energy configuration is identified and used to define subsystems whose eigenmodes provide relevant deformation directions; the subsystem eigenmodes are then used to guide the system toward the vicinity of different saddle points surrounding the energy minimum; next, the geodesic minimum mode following method is employed to efficiently converge onto the saddle points; and finally, the identified saddle points are embedded into the state network. Applied to metastable textures in two-dimensional chiral magnets described by a lattice Hamiltonian, the method reveals a hierarchy of transition mechanisms governing the nucleation, annihilation, and rearrangement of the fundamental components of localized magnetic textures. The identified saddle points enable the construction of the network of metastable states, where saddle points define the connectivity between them, providing a comprehensive map of accessible transitions and their associated energy barriers. Transitions corresponding to both homotopies that preserve the topological charge and transformations that change it are identified. By scaling the interaction parameters, the distinct behavior of these two classes is obtained as the continuum limit is approached. Finally, it is shown that textures with the same topological charge are not always connected by a homotopy corresponding to a minimum-energy path: in specific parameter regimes, the total topological charge necessarily increases and then decreases (or vice versa) during the transition, returning to its initial value at the final state.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2025

Impact of higher-order exchange on the lifetime of skyrmions and antiskyrmions

Reliable control of skyrmion lifetime is essential for realizing spintronic devices, yet the role of higher-order exchange - which can lead to skyrmion stabilization - remains largely unexplored. Here we calculate lifetimes of isolated skyrmions and antiskyrmions at transition-metal interfaces based on an atomistic spin model that includes all fourth-order exchange terms. Within harmonic transition-state theory, we evaluate both energetic and entropic contributions and find substantially enhanced lifetimes when higher-order exchange is included. The four-spin four-site interaction raises the energy barrier and lowers the curvature of the energy landscape at the collapse saddle point, increasing the pre-exponential factor. We show that skyrmions and antiskyrmions can remain thermally stable even without Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI), and that tuning the four-spin term by a small amount modulates the prefactor over orders of magnitude. Our results identify higher-order exchange as a promising route to stabilize topological magnetic textures - in particular in systems lacking DMI - and to engineer their thermally activated decay.

physics.comp-ph↗

arXiv2025

Eigenmode following for direct entropy calculation and characterization of magnetic systems

We present an eigenmode following method (EMF) that has been developed for the numerical scanning of the potential energy surface and the direct calculation of entropy and pre-exponential factors of Arrhenius-like transition rates in the framework of transition state theory. In contrast to other methods, we do not use EMF to move "uphill" or "downhill" in energy to find stationary points, but to obtain energy curves. By numerical integration of the Boltzmann factor along these curves, the partition functions of the followed eigenmodes can be calculated without making assumptions of the form of the energy curves. The EMF method is computationally more elaborate than traditional approaches as it requires iterative updates of the respective eigenpair spectrum. In order to mitigate this increase in computational cost, the EMF method can be combined with other approaches like the harmonic approximation for all eigenmodes but the softest which typically require the most accurate mod elling. In this work we first introduce the general theoretical background and algorithm of the EMF method before providing test calculations and relevant use-cases in the framework of atomistic spin simulations with a focus on magnetic skyrmions collapse.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2025

Co-existing magnetization reversal mechanisms in shakti spin ice systems

The switching mechanisms in artificial spin ice systems are investigated with focus on shakti and modified shakti lattices. Minimum energy paths are calculated using the geodesic nudged elastic band (GNEB) method implemented with a micromagnetic description of the system, including the internal magnetic structure of the islands and edge modulations. Two switching mechanisms, uniform magnetization rotation and domain wall formation, are found to have comparable activation energy. The preference for one over the other depends strongly on the saturation magnetization and the magnetic ordering of neighboring islands. Surprisingly, these mechanisms can coexist, leading to an enhanced probability of magnetization reversal. These results provide valuable insight that can help control internal magnetization switching processes in spin ice systems and help predict their thermodynamic properties.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2025

Identification of mechanisms of magnetic transitions using an efficient method for converging on first order saddle points

A method for locating first order saddle points on the energy surface of a magnetic system is described and several applications presented where the mechanism of various magnetic transitions is identified. The starting point for the iterative search algorithm can be anywhere, even close to a local energy minimum representing an initial state of the system, and the final state need not be specified. Convergence on a saddle point is obtained by inverting the component of the gradient along the minimum mode, thereby effectively transforming the neighbourhood of the saddle point to that of a local minimum. The method requires only the lowest two eigenvalues and corresponding eigenvectors of the Hessian of the system's energy and they are found using a quasi-Newton limited-memory Broyden-Fletcher-Goldfarb-Shanno solver for the minimization of the Rayleigh quotient without explicit evaluation of the Hessian. The method is applicable to large systems as the computational effort scales linearly with system size. Applications are presented to transitions in systems that reveal significant complexity of co-existing magnetic states, such as skyrmions, skyrmion bags, skyrmion tubes, chiral bobbers, and globules. When combined with rate theory within the harmonic approximation, the method can be used for simulations of the long timescale dynamics of complex magnetic systems characterized by multiple metastable states.

physics.comp-ph↗

arXiv2024

Optimal field-free magnetization switching via spin-orbit torque on the surface of a topological insulator

We present an optimal field-free protocol for current-induced switching of a perpendicularly magnetized ferromagnetic insulator nanoelement on the surface of a topological insulator. The time dependence of in-plane components of the surface current, which drives the magnetization reversal via the Dirac spin-orbit torque with minimal Joule heating, is derived analytically as a function of the switching time and material properties. Our analysis identifies that energy-efficient switching is achieved for vanishing damping-like torque. The optimal reversal time that balances switching speed and energy efficiency is determined. When we compare topological insulators to heavy-metal systems, we find similar switching costs for the optimal ratio between the spin-orbit torque coefficients. However, topological insulators offer the advantage of tunable material properties. Finally, we propose a robust and efficient simplified switching protocol using a down-chirped rotating current pulse, tailored to realistic ferromagnetic/topological insulator systems.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2024

Symmetry-Governed Dynamics of Magnetic Skyrmions Under Field Pulses

Topological magnetic solitons, such as skyrmions, exhibit intriguing particle-like properties that make them attractive for fundamental research and practical applications. While many magnetic systems can host skyrmions as statically stable configurations, chiral magnets stand out for their ability to accommodate a wide diversity of skyrmions with arbitrary topological charges and varied morphologies. Despite extensive investigation, a complete understanding of chiral magnetic skyrmions has remained elusive. We present a classification of all chiral skyrmions, demonstrating three classes based on their response to external magnetic field pulses: stationary, translating, and rotating. We highlight the role of magnetic texture symmetry in this classification. Skyrmions with varied dynamics offer avenues for exploring phenomena like skyrmion-skyrmion scattering that might be crucial for future applications.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2023

Enhancing thermal stability of optimal magnetization reversal in nanoparticles

Energy-efficient switching of nanoscale magnets requires the application of a time-varying magnetic field characterized by microwave frequency. At finite temperatures, even weak thermal fluctuations create perturbations in the magnetization that can accumulate in time, break the phase locking between the magnetization and the applied field, and eventually compromise magnetization switching. It is demonstrated here that the magnetization reversal is mostly disturbed by unstable perturbations arising in a certain domain of the configuration space of a nanomagnet. The instabilities can be suppressed and the probability of magnetization switching enhanced by applying an additional stimulus such as a weak longitudinal magnetic field that ensures bounded dynamics of the perturbations. Application of the stabilizing longitudinal field to a uniaxial nanomagnet makes it possible to reach a desired probability of magnetization switching even at elevated temperatures. The principle of suppressing instabilities provides a general approach to enhancing thermal stability of magnetization dynamics.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2023

Reduction of energy cost of magnetization switching in a biaxial nanoparticle by use of internal dynamics

A solution to energy-efficient magnetization switching in a nanoparticle with biaxial anisotropy is presented. Optimal control paths minimizing the energy cost of magnetization reversal are calculated numerically as functions of the switching time and materials properties, and used to derive energy-efficient switching pulses of external magnetic field. Hard-axis anisotropy reduces the minimum energy cost of magnetization switching due to the internal torque in the desired switching direction. Analytical estimates quantifying this effect are obtained based on the perturbation theory. The optimal switching time providing a tradeoff between fast switching and energy efficiency is obtained. The energy cost of switching and the energy barrier between the stable states can be controlled independently in a biaxial nanomagnet. This provides a solution to the dilemma between energy-efficient writability and good thermal stability of magnetic memory elements.

physics.comp-ph↗

arXiv2023

Lifetime of coexisting sub-10 nm zero-field skyrmions and antiskyrmions

Magnetic skyrmions have raised high hopes for future spintronic devices. For many applications it would be of great advantage to have more than one metastable particle-like texture available. The coexistence of skyrmions and antiskyrmions has been proposed in inversion symmetric magnets with exchange frustration. However, so far only model systems have been studied and the lifetime of coexisting metastable topological spin structures has not been obtained. Here, we predict that skyrmions and antiskyrmions with diameters below 10 nm can coexist at zero magnetic field in a Rh/Co bilayer on the Ir(111) surface -- an experimentally feasible system. We show that the lifetimes of metastable skyrmions and antiskyrmions in the ferromagnetic ground state are above one hour for temperatures up to 75 K and 48 K, respectively. The entropic contribution to the nucleation and annihilation rates differs for skyrmions and antiskyrmions. This opens the route to thermally activated creation of coexisting skyrmions and antiskyrmions in frustrated magnets with Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2023

Tailed skyrmions -- an obscure branch of magnetic solitons

We report tailed skyrmions -- a new class of stable soliton solutions of the 2D chiral magnet model. Tailed skyrmions have elongated shapes and emerge in a narrow range of fields near the transition between the spin spirals and the saturated state. We analyze the stability range of these solutions in terms of external magnetic field and magnetocrystalline anisotropy. Minimum energy paths and the homotopies (continuous transitions) between tailed skyrmions of the same topological charge have been calculated using the geodesic nudged elastic bands method. The discovery of tailed skyrmions extends the diversity of already-known solutions illustrated by complex morphology solitons, such as tailed skyrmion bags with and without chiral kinks.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2022

Optimal protocol for spin-orbit torque switching of a perpendicular nanomagnet

It is demonstrated by means of the optimal control theory that the energy cost of the spin-orbit torque induced reversal of a nanomagnet with perpendicular anisotropy can be strongly reduced by proper shaping of both in-plane components of the current pulse. The time-dependence of the optimal switching pulse that minimizes the energy cost associated with Joule heating is derived analytically in terms of the required reversal time and material properties. The optimal reversal time providing a tradeoff between the switching speed and energy efficiency is obtained. A sweet-spot balance between the field-like and damping-like components of the spin-orbit torque is discovered; it permits for a particularly efficient switching by a down-chirped rotating current pulse whose duration does not need to be adjusted precisely.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2021

Thermal generation of droplet soliton in chiral magnet

Controlled creation of localized magnetic textures beyond conventional $π$-skyrmions is an important problem in the field of magnetism. Here by means of spin dynamics simulations, Monte Carlo simulations and harmonic transition state theory we demonstrate that an elementary chiral magnetic soliton with zero topological charge -- the chiral droplet -- can be reliably created by thermal fluctuations in the presence of the tilted magnetic field. The proposed protocol relies on an unusual kinetics combining the effects of the entropic stabilization and low energy barrier for the nucleation of a topologically-trivial state. Following this protocol by varying temperature and the tilt of the external magnetic field one can selectively generate chiral droplets or $π$-skyrmions in a single system. The coexistence of two distinct magnetic solitons establishes a basis for a rich magnetization dynamics and opens up the possibility for the construction of more complex magnetic textures such as skyrmion bags and skyrmions with chiral kinks.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2021

Effects of interlayer exchange on collapse mechanisms and stability of magnetic skyrmions

Theoretical calculations of thermally activated decay of skyrmions in systems comprising several magnetic monolayers are presented, with a special focus on bilayer systems. Mechanisms of skyrmion collapse are identified and corresponding energy barriers and thermal collapse rates are evaluated as functions of the interlayer exchange coupling and mutual stacking of the monolayers using transition state theory and an atomistic spin Hamiltonian. In order to contrast the results to monolayer systems, the magnetic interactions within each layer are chosen so as to mimic the well-established Pd/Fe/Ir(111) system. Even bilayer systems demonstrate a rich diversity of skyrmion collapse mechanisms that sometimes co-exist. For very weakly coupled layers, the skyrmions in each layer decay successively via radially-symmetric shrinking. Slightly larger coupling leads to an asymmetric chimera collapse stabilized by interlayer exchange. When the interlayer exchange coupling reaches a certain critical value, the skyrmions collapse simultaneously. Interestingly, the overall energy barrier for the skyrmion collapse does not always converge to a multiple of that for a monolayer system in the strongly coupled regime. For a certain stacking of the magnetic layers, the energy barrier as a function of the interlayer exchange coupling features a maximum and then decreases with the coupling strength in the strong coupling regime. Calculated mechanisms of skyrmion collapse are used to ultimately predict the skyrmion lifetime. Our results reveal a comprehensive picture of thermal stability of skyrmions in magnetic multilayers and provide a perspective for realizing skyrmions with controlled properties.

physics.comp-ph↗

arXiv2020

Toward room-temperature nanoscale skyrmions in ultrathin films

Breaking the dilemma between small size and room temperature stability is a necessary prerequisite for skyrmion-based information technology. Here we demonstrate by means of rate theory and an atomistic spin Hamiltonian that the stability of isolated skyrmions in ultrathin ferromagnetic films can be enhanced by the concerted variation of magnetic interactions while keeping the skyrmion size unchanged. We predict film systems where the lifetime of sub-10 nm skyrmions can reach years at ambient conditions. The long lifetime of such small skyrmions is due to exceptionally large Arrhenius pre-exponential and the stabilizing effect of the energy barrier is insignificant at room temperature. A dramatic increase in the pre-exponential is achieved thanks to softening of magnon modes of the skyrmion, thereby increasing the entropy of the skyrmion with respect to the transition state for collapse. Increasing the number of skyrmion deformation modes should be a guiding principle for the realization of nanoscale, room-temperature stable skyrmions.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2020

Magnetic Skyrmion Annihilation by Quantum Mechanical Tunneling

Magnetic skyrmions are nano-scale magnetic states that could be used in various spintronics devices. A central issue is the mechanism and rate of various possible annihilation processes and the lifetime of metastable skyrmions. While most studies have focused on classical over-the-barrier mechanism for annihilation, it is also possible that quantum mechanical tunneling through the energy barrier takes place. Calculations of the lifetime of magnetic skyrmions in a two-dimensional lattice are presented and the rate of tunneling compared with the classical annihilation rate. A remarkably strong variation in the crossover temperature and the lifetime of the skyrmion is found as a function of the values of parameters in the extended Heisenberg Hamiltonian, i.e. the out-of-plane anisotropy, Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI) and applied magnetic field. Materials parameters and conditions are identified where the onset of tunneling could be observed on a laboratory time scale. In particular, it is predicted that skyrmion tunneling could be observed in the PdFe/Ir(111) system when an external magnetic field on the order of 6 T is applied.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2020

Mechanisms of skyrmion collapse revealed by sub-nm maps of the transition rate

Magnetic skyrmions are key candidates for novel memory, logic, and neuromorphic computing. An essential property is their topological protection caused by the whirling spin texture as described by a robust integer winding number. However, the realization on an atomic lattice leaves a loophole for switching the winding number via concerted rotation of individual spins. Hence, understanding the unwinding microscopically is key to enhance skyrmion stability. Here, we use spin polarized scanning tunneling microscopy to probe skyrmion annihilation by individual hot electrons and obtain maps of the transition rate on the nanometer scale. By applying an in-plane magnetic field, we tune the collapse rate by up to four orders of magnitude. In comparison with first-principles based atomistic spin simulations, the experiments demonstrate a radial symmetric collapse at zero in-plane magnetic field and a transition to the recently predicted chimera collapse at finite in-plane field. Our work opens the route to design criteria for skyrmion switches and improved skyrmion stability.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗