Berlin 2018 – scientific programme

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KFM: Fachverband Kristalline Festkörper und deren Mikrostruktur

KFM 17: Skyrmions III (joint session MA/TT/KFM)

KFM 17.3: Talk

Wednesday, March 14, 2018, 15:30–15:45, EB 301

Quantum dynamics of skyrmions in chiral magnets — •Christina Psaroudaki — Department of Physics, University of Basel, Klingelbergstrasse 82, CH-4056 Basel, Switzerland

We study the quantum propagation of a skyrmion in chiral magnetic insulators by generalizing the micromagnetic equations of motion to a finite temperature path integral formalism, using field theoretic tools. Promoting the center of the skyrmion to a dynamic quantity, the fluctuations around the skyrmionic configuration give rise to a time-dependent damping of the skyrmion motion. From the frequency dependence of the damping kernel, we are able to identify the skyrmion mass, thus providing a microscopic description of the kinematic properties of skyrmions. When defects are present or a magnetic trap is applied, the skyrmion mass acquires a finite value proportional to the effective spin, even at vanishingly small temperature. We demonstrate that a skyrmion in a confined geometry provided by a magnetic trap behaves as a massive particle owing to its quasi-one dimensional confinement. An additional quantum mass term is predicted, independent of the effective spin, with an explicit temperature dependence which remains finite even at zero temperature.