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Abstract From elementary particles to cosmological structures, topological solitons are ubiquitous nonlinear excitations valued for their robustness and complex interactions. In magnetism, solitons such as skyrmions and antiskyrmions behave analogously to particles and antiparticles, typically annihilating in pairs in accordance with topological conservation laws. Here the stripe‐to‐skyrmion transition is experimentally observed and a model for a skyrmion–antiskyrmion–skyrmion intertwined state is introduced, in which the central antiskyrmion is annihilated, leading to an increase in the local topological number. Because this transition occurs repeatedly across the film, the cumulative effect produces a global increase in the total topological charge. This model reflects a breakdown of topological protection in isotropic Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction (DMI) materials, where symmetry constraints render the antiskyrmion energetically unstable and thermally activated. Using micromagnetic simulations and minimum‐energy‐path calculations, the antiskyrmion is identified as a transient, metastable excitation. To highlight its functional potential, this stripe‐to‐skyrmion transition within a Hall device is exploited to generate stochastic bitstreams, which are subsequently used in a proof‐of‐concept probabilistic computing demonstration. These results contribute to the understanding of topological spin‐texture dynamics and suggest opportunities for leveraging their transient behavior in probabilistic computing architectures.more » « lessFree, publicly-accessible full text available January 4, 2027
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Abstract In the burgeoning field of spintronics, antiferromagnetic materials (AFMs) are attracting significant attention for their potential to enable ultra‐fast, energy‐efficient devices. Thin films of AFMs are particularly promising for practical applications due to their compatibility with spin‐orbit torque (SOT) mechanisms. However, studying these thin films presents challenges, primarily due to the weak signals they produce and the rapid dynamics driven by SOT, that are too fast for conventional electric transport or microwave techniques to capture. The time‐resolved magneto‐optical Kerr effect (TR‐MOKE) has been a successful tool for probing antiferromagnetic dynamics in bulk materials, thanks to its sub‐picosecond (sub‐ps) time resolution. Yet, its application to nanometer‐scale thin films has been limited by the difficulty of detecting weak signals in such small volumes. In this study, the first successful observation of antiferromagnetic dynamics are presented in nanometer‐thick orthoferrite films using the pump‐probe technique to detect TR‐MOKE signal. This paper report an exceptionally low damping constant of 1.5 × 10−4and confirms the AFM magnonic nature of these dynamics through angular‐dependent measurements. Furthermore, it is observed that electrical currents can potentially modulate these dynamics via SOT. The findings lay the groundwork for developing tunable, energy‐efficient spintronic devices, paving the way for advancements in next‐generation spintronic applications.more » « less
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Abstract Topological insulators (TI) and magnetic topological insulators (MTI) can apply highly efficient spin‐orbit torque (SOT) and manipulate the magnetization with their unique topological surface states (TSS) with ultrahigh efficiency. Here, efficient SOT switching of a hard MTI, V‐doped (Bi,Sb)2Te3(VBST), with a large coercive field that can prevent the influence of an external magnetic field, is demonstrated. A giant switched anomalous Hall resistance of 9.2 kΩ is realized, among the largest of all SOT systems, which makes the Hall channel a good readout and eliminates the need to fabricate complicated magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) structures. The SOT switching current density can be reduced to 2.8 × 105 A cm−2, indicating its high efficiency. Moreover, as the Fermi level is moved away from the Dirac point by both gate and composition tuning, VBST exhibits a transition from edge‐state‐mediated to surface‐state‐mediated transport, thus enhancing the SOT effective field to (1.56 ± 0.12) × 10−6 T A−1 cm2and the interfacial charge‐to‐spin conversion efficiency to 3.9 ± 0.3 nm−1. The findings establish VBST as an extraordinary candidate for energy‐efficient magnetic memory devices.more » « less
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