Magnetoelectric classification of skyrmions

Abstract

We develop a general theory to classify magnetic skyrmions and related spin textures in terms of their magnetoelectric multipoles. Since magnetic skyrmions are now established in insulating materials, where the magnetoelectric multipoles govern the linear magnetoelectric response, our classification provides a recipe for manipulating the magnetic properties of skyrmions using applied electric fields. We apply our formalism to skyrmions and anti-skyrmions of different helicities, as well as to magnetic bimerons, which are topologically, but not geometrically, equivalent to skyrmions. We show that the non-zero components of the magnetoelectric multipole and magnetoelectric response tensors are uniquely determined by the topology, helicity and geometry of the spin texture. Therefore, we propose straightforward linear magnetoelectric response measurements as an alternative to Lorentz microscopy for characterizing insulating skyrmionic textures.

6 pages, 4 figures

References in corpus (9)

• Spontaneous Skyrmion Ground States in Magnetic Metals
• Additive interfacial chiral interaction in multilayers for stabilization of small individual skyrmion at room temperature
• Interface-driven topological Hall effect in SrRuO${}_3$-SrIrO${}_3$ bilayer
• Long wavelength helimagnetic order and skyrmion lattice phase in Cu2OSeO3
• Towards a microscopic theory of toroidal moments in bulk periodic crystals
• Formation and rotation of skyrmion crystal in the chiral-lattice insulator Cu2OSeO3
• Néel-type skyrmion lattice in tetragonal polar magnet VOSe${}_2$O${}_5$
• Axion-matter coupling in multiferroics
• Revealing hidden magneto-electric multipoles using Compton scattering

Cited by in corpus (6)

• Magnetic octupoles as the order parameter for unconventional antiferromagnetism
• Emergent Magneto-multipoles and Nonlinear Responses of a Magnetic Hopfion
• Designer Meron Lattice on the Surface of a Topological Insulator
• Skyrmion crystal under $D_{3h}$ point group: Role of out-of-plane Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction
• Magnetoelectricity induced by rippling of magnetic nanomembranes and wires
• Modern triad for magnetic material science: geometric shape, electronic bands and spin textures