Skyrmion-vortex interactions in chiral-magnet/superconducting hybrid systems

Abstract

In this thesis, we have performed systematic transport and magnetization studies of the physics arising from the interplay of chiral magnetism and superconductivity in low-dimensional hybrid systems. We combine stacks of Ir/Fe(x)/Co(y)/Pt metallic multilayers with thin superconducting Nb films, which allow us to independently tune each of the magnetic length scales in our heterostructures and hence modulate the interaction strengths between the topological excitations characteristic to each layer. Using a combination of ultra-sensitive magnetization, electrical transport and magnetic imaging techniques, we identify signatures of skyrmion-induced antivortex nucleation phenomena, Meissner screening currents in the superconductor (induced by the chiral spin topology) and antivortex-induced changes in the skyrmion radius. Our work provides the first glimpse of hybrid topological solitons in real space and paves the way to integrating such phenomena in future functional material architectures.