Transformation of a cellular skyrmion to polyomino-like structures

Abstract

Topological spin structures with transformable shapes may have potential implications for data storage and computation. Here, we demonstrate that a square cellular skyrmion on an artificial grid pinning pattern can be manipulated by programmed current pulses. We find that parallel short pulses could result in elongation of the skyrmion mainly in the current direction, while parallel long pulses are able to induce elongation in the direction perpendicular to the current due to the intrinsic skyrmion Hall effect. Consequently, a programmed sequence of parallel pulses could lead to transformation of the skyrmion to I-, L-, and Z-shaped polyomino-like structures without affecting the topological charge. In addition, we find that orthogonal pulses could lead to the transformation to more complex polyomino-like structures, including T-shaped and irregular ones. Particularly, when a small T-shaped structure is formed, the topological charge of the system is found to be non-integer due to incomplete compensation of local topological charge densities; however, the T-shaped structure is stable on the attractive pinning pattern. Our results offer an effective way to create polyomino-like spin structures toward functional applications.