AB INITIO STUDY OF MAGNETIC SKYRMIONS IN ATOMICALLY THIN 2D VAN DER WAALS LAYERS

Work package:
Magnetic skyrmions – topologically protected quasi-particles with a whirling spin texture in real space – have raised great attention due to their rich physics and promising applications for future spintronic devices. With the recent discovery of 2D van der Waals (vdW) magnets [1], stabilizing and controlling magnetic skyrmions in atomically thin vdW materials has gained tremendous attention due to high tunability, enhanced functionality, and miniaturization [2]. The study of skyrmions in 2D magnets is still in its infancy stage. This leaves a timely and vast playground for investigating new mechanisms for skyrmion generation [3], detection [4], and manipulation [5] in the emerging area of vdW 2D magnets. The purpose of this Master’s project is to explore the generation and manipulation of magnetic skyrmions in novel 2D magnets and heterostructures. Fundamentally, chiral magnetic skyrmions have spin-orbit-driven non-collinear spin textures that result from a fine balance of different magnetic interactions. To capture these effects with sufficient accuracy, we will employ a multiscale approach that combines density functional theory (DFT) and atomistic spin simulations. Different magnetic interactions, such as Heisenberg exchange, Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction, magnetocrystalline anisotropy energy, and higher-order exchange interactions (HOI), will be calculated by DFT. In particular, we will provide a deeper understanding of the interplay between DMI and HOI for skyrmion stability. Finally, we will investigate how external stimuli such as electric or magnetic fields tune topological spin textures (see Figure 1). This internship requires a taste for modeling. The numerical calculations will be performed using local and national HPC facilities. The results obtained will be analyzed with the possibility of publication in international scientific journals.