All-optical Control of Skyrmion Configuration in CrI_3 Monolayer

The potential for manipulating characteristics of skyrmions in a CrI_3monolayer using circularly polarised light is explored. The effectiveskyrmion-light interaction is mediated by bright excitons whose magnetizationis selectively influenced by the polarization of photons. The light-inducedskyrmion dynamics is illustrated by the dependencies of the skyrmion size andthe skyrmion lifetime on the intensity and polarization of the incident lightpulse. Two-dimensional magnets hosting excitons thus represent a promisingplatform for the control of topological magnetic structures by light.