Magnetic vortices with electric sense
Friday, August 17, 2012 - 09:02
in Physics & Chemistry
In the field of magnetic materials, a rapidly expanding area of study concerns stable nanometer-scale spin arrangements. Spins are the fundamental magnetic entities in solids, and patterns made of several spins could be useful components in applications such as memory devices. Applied physicist Shinichiro Seki and his team in Japan, including members from the RIKEN Advanced Science Institute, Wako, now report the observation of one such spin pattern, called a skyrmion, in a material where it can be manipulated with electrical fields. This finding could help to make future devices based on spin structures more energy-efficient.