Fig. 5: Nucleation of SAF skyrmions by ultra-fast laser pulses. | Nature Communications

Fig. 5: Nucleation of SAF skyrmions by ultra-fast laser pulses.

From: Skyrmions in synthetic antiferromagnets and their nucleation via electrical current and ultra-fast laser illumination

Fig. 5

a, b XMCD-PEEM images (Co L3 edge) of a Pt(2.25)/[Pt(0.75)/Co(1.49)/Ru(0.85)]6 (thicknesses in nanometres) SAF multilayer (a) before and (b) during the illumination of the sample by ultra-fast (80 fs) laser pulse excitation with repetition rate of 1.25 MHz and a fluence of 10 ± 3.5 mJ cm−2 in the centre of the beam (c) XMCD-PEEM image of worm domains and skyrmions after the continuous illumination (several minutes) by ultra-fast laser pulses with a fluence of 7.0 ± 2.5 mJ cm−2. The experiments were carried out at zero field. d Micromagnetic simulation using experimental parameters. Magnetisation distribution (mz in colour scale (cf Fig. 2a) obtained after relaxation from a random initial state, mimicking a fully demagnetised state resulting from the laser excitation. Scale bars in a, b, c, d are 1 μm and 500 nm, respectively.

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