Surface acoustic waves and skyrmions

We investigate the effect of high-frequency surface acoustic waves (SAW) on a variety of magnetic textures using polar magneto-optical Kerr microscopy in 128º Y cut LiNbO3/Ta(3nm)/Pt(3nm)CoFeB(0.4nm)Pt(2nm). The as-deposited samples are in a single-domain state that remains impervious to magnetic field configurations. Low-temperature annealing results in multi-domain states and a subsequent field sweep results in the nucleation of bubbles. The application of SAW rapidly increases the density of bubbles. We report on SAW-driven magnetic switching in the single-domain state and the SAW-driven dynamics of bubble domains in the multi-domain state.