  Magnetic skyrmions are hailed as a potential technology for data storage and
other data processing devices. However, their stability against thermal
fluctuations is an open question that must be answered before skyrmion-based
devices can be designed. In this work, we study paths in the energy landscape
via which the transition between the skyrmion and the uniform state can occur
in interfacial Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya finite-sized systems. We find three
mechanisms the system can take in the process of skyrmion nucleation or
destruction and identify that the transition facilitated by the boundary has a
significantly lower energy barrier than the other energy paths. This clearly
demonstrates the lack of the skyrmion topological protection in finite-sized
magnetic systems. Overall, the energy barriers of the system under
investigation are too small for storage applications at room temperature, but
research into device materials, geometry and design may be able to address
this.
