Skyrmions—magnetic vortices for IT of the future
Magnetic vortices - so-called skyrmions - were predicted theoretically more than 25 years ago, but it has only been possible to observe them experimentally in magnetic materials in recent years. Skyrmions are stable, can have a diameter of just a few nanometres, and can be moved efficiently by electrical currents. Therefore, they are presently being discussed as candidates for high density, energy-saving data storage and processing. However, until very recently, the only materials known to exhibit skyrmions did so at extremely low temperatures. Scientists at Kiel University and the research institute Forschungszentrum Jülich have predicted that skyrmions can also be produced for applications at room temperature - and their properties specifically adjusted - when enveloped in magnetic layer structures. Their results have been published in the current issue of Nature Communications.