Anatomy of fast current-induced skyrmion motion in synthetic antiferromagnets

Abstract

The high mobility of current-driven skyrmions in synthetic antiferromagnets (SAFs) is widely explained by the macroscopic suppression of the skyrmion Hall effect through gyrotropic force compensation. This established view, however, overlooks a concurrent and significant reduction in the Gilbert damping parameter α, a key factor in the Thiele equation governing skyrmion velocity. Here, we show that this damping attenuation originates from a reconfigured magnon-electron scattering landscape. Using a microscopic s-d model, we demonstrate that the strong antiferromagnetic interlayer Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yosida (RKKY) exchange coupling in SAFs increases the magnonic gap of skyrmion collective modes, thereby suppressing the thermal magnon population and, consequently, the magnon-electron scattering rate that dominates damping in metallic ferromagnets. Our work establishes a dual-mechanism framework to fully explain the superior kinetics of SAF skyrmions: the macroscopic topological effect rectifies the motion direction, while the microscopic dissipation mechanism reduces the drag. This synergy enables high-speed and efficient motion, providing a fundamental elucidation of the enhanced mobility reported in recent studies such as the work by Pham et al. [Science 384, 307-312 (2024)].