Phenomenology of current-skyrmion interactions in thin films with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy

Abstract

We study skyrmions in magnetic thin films with structural inversion asymmetry perpendicular to the film plane. We determine the magnetization texture of a single skyrmion and its dependence on the strength of the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction relative to the magnetostatic energy. Furthermore, we construct a phenomenological model that describes the interaction between the motion of skyrmions and electric currents to lowest order in spin-orbit coupling. We estimate the experimental verifiable velocities for current-driven motion of skyrmion textures based on available results obtained from domain walls dynamics.