Magnetic skyrmions are promising candidates as information carriers in spintronic devices. The transport of individual skyrmions in a fast and controlled way is a key issue in this field. Here we introduce a novel platform for accelerating, guiding and compressing skyrmions along predefined paths. The guiding mechanism is based on two parallel line defects (rails), one attractive and the other repulsive. Numerical simulations, using parameters from state-of-the-art experiments, show that the speed of the skyrmions along the rails can be increased up to an order of magnitude with respect to the non-defect case whereas the distance between rails can be as small as the initial radius of the skyrmions. In this way, the flux of information that can be coded and transported with magnetic skyrmions could be significantly increased.
Defects are unavoidable in real materials. Defects, either intrinsic or artificially incorporated, can alter the material properties. In the particular case of skyrmionic ferromagnetic materials, defects modify the stability and dynamics of the skyrmions. These magnetic structures have aroused great interest due to their potential as information carriers. Hence, the knowledge and control of the influence of defects on skyrmions are essential for their use in applications, such as magnetic memories or information mobility. Aiming to give an overview on defect simulations, we review the most relevant approaches to simulate defects in ferromagnetic materials, hosting skyrmions depending on their size, nature, strength, and quantity.
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