Asymmetric skyrmion-antiskyrmion production in ultrathin ferromagnetic films

Abstract

Ultrathin ferromagnets with frustrated exchange and the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction can support topological solitons such as skyrmions and antiskyrmions, which are metastable and can be considered particle-antiparticle counterparts. When spin-orbit torques are applied, the motion of an isolated antiskyrmion driven beyond its Walker limit can generate skyrmion-antiskyrmion pairs. Here, we use atomistic spin dynamics simulations to shed light on the scattering processes involved in this pair generation. Under certain conditions a proliferation of these particles and antiparticles can appear with a growth rate and production asymmetry that depend on the strength of the chiral interactions and the dissipative component of the spin-orbit torques. These features are largely determined by scattering processes between antiskyrmions, which can be elastic or result in bound states or annihilation.