Laser-induced topological spin switching in a 2D van der Waals magnet

Abstract

Two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals (vdW) magnets represent one of the most promising horizons for energy-efficient spintronic applications because their broad range of electronic, magnetic and topological properties. Of particular interest is the control of the magnetic properties of 2D materials by femtosecond laser pulses which can provide a real path for low-power consumption device platforms in data storage industries. However, little is known about the interplay between light and spin properties in vdW layers. Here, combining large-scale spin dynamics simulations including biquadratic exchange interactions and wide-field Kerr microscopy (WFKM), we show that ultrafast laser excitation can not only generate different type of spin textures in CrGeTe${}_3$ vdW magnets but also induce a reversible transformation between them in a toggle-switch mechanism. Our calculations show that skyrmions, anti-skyrmions, skyrmioniums and stripe domains can be generated via high-intense laser pulses within the picosecond regime. The effect is tunable with the laser energy where different spin behaviours can be selected, such as fast demagnetisation process ($\sim$250 fs) important for information technologies. The phase transformation between the different topological spin textures is obtained as additional laser pulses are applied to the system where the polarisation and final state of the spins can be controlled by external magnetic fields. We experimentally confirmed the creation, manipulation and toggle switching phenomena in CrGeTe${}_3$ due to the unique aspect of laser-induced heating of electrons. Our results indicate laser-driven spin textures on 2D magnets as a pathway towards ultrafast reconfigurable architecture at the atomistic level.

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Cited by in corpus (16)

• Room-temperature sub-100 nm Néel-type skyrmions in non-stoichiometric van der Waals ferromagnet $\mathrm{F}{\mathrm{e}}_{3-\mathrm{x}}\mathrm{GaT}{\mathrm{e}}_2$ with ultrafast laser writability
• Spin Dynamics in van der Waals Magnetic Systems
• Visualizing thickness-dependent magnetic textures in few-layer ${\text{Cr}}_2{\text{Ge}}_2{\text{Te}}_6$
• Topological magnon gap engineering in van der Waals CrI${}_3$ ferromagnets
• All optical control of bubble and skyrmion breathing
• Laser-induced real-space topology control of spin wave resonances
• Writing and detecting topological charges in exfoliated Fe${}_{5-x}$GeTe${}_2$
• Intrinsic Spin Nernst Effect and Chiral Edge Modes in van der Waals Ferromagnetic Insulators: Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya vs. Kitaev Interactions
• Distinguishing Surface and Bulk Electromagnetism via Their Dynamics in an Intrinsic Magnetic Topological Insulator
• Field-induced antiferromagnetic correlations in a nanopatterned van der Waals ferromagnet: a potential artificial spin ice
• Pathways to Bubble and Skyrmion Lattice Formation in Fe/Gd Multilayers
• Laser-Induced Topological Toggle Switching at Room Temperature in the van der Waals Ferromagnet Fe3GaTe2
• Giant Exfoliation Induced Magnetic Coercivity in Fe${}_3$GaTe${}_2$
• A new skyrmion topological transition driven by higher-order exchange interactions in Janus MnSeTe
• Strongly enhanced lifetime of higher-order bimerons and antibimerons
• Coherent Spin-Phonon Coupling in the Layered Ferrimagnet Mn3Si2Te6