Abstract
The ground states of square-lattice two-dimensional antiferromagnets with anisotropy in an external magnetic field are determined using Monte Carlo simulations and compared to theoretical analysis. We find a phase in between the spin-flop and spiral phase that shows strong similarity to skyrmions in ferromagnetic thin films. We show that this phase arises as a result of the competition between Zeeman and Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction energies of the magnetic system. Moreover, we find that isolated (anti-)skyrmions are stabilized in finite-sized systems, even at higher temperatures. The existence of thermodynamically stable skyrmions in square-lattice antiferromagnets provides an appealing alternative over skyrmions in ferromagnets as data carriers.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 054402 |
Journal | Physical Review B - Condensed Matter and Materials Physics |
Volume | 94 |
Issue number | 5 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1 Aug 2016 |