Stabilization and control of topological magnetic solitons via magnetic nanopatterning of exchange bias systems

Stabilizing and manipulating topological magnetic quasiparticles in thin films is of great interest for potential applications in data storage and information processing. Here, we present a strategy for stabilizing magnetic vortices and Bloch lines with controlled position, vorticity, and chirality in a continuous exchange bias system. By tailoring vectorially the unidirectional anisotropy of the system at the nanoscale, via thermally assisted magnetic scanning probe lithography, we show experimentally and via micromagnetic simulations the non-volatile creation of vortex-antivortex pairs. In addition, we demonstrate the deterministic stabilization of cross and circular Bloch lines within patterned Neel magnetic domain walls. This work enables the implementation of complex functionalities based on the control of tailored topological spin-textures in spintronic and magnonic nanodevices. Published by AIP Publishing.