02 October 2024 / News, Research

Control of skyrmions possible

Using scanning SQUID microscopy at very low temperatures, researchers from the SNI network have visualized the microscopic structure of the magnetic phases and their transitions on the surface of the insulator Cu₂OSeO₃. The researchers from Prof. Martino Poggio's team observed that under certain conditions, the surface is populated by clusters of disordered magnetic vortex structures (skyrmions), whereby individual skyrmions could be controlled locally.

Researchers are interested in the material Cu₂OseO₃ because, although it is an electrical insulator, it still exhibits magnetic and ferroelectric effects. Applications in spintronics are being discussed, as the control of magnetic skyrmions can lead to new types of memory and logic devices that are more compact and energy-efficient than current technologies.

Original publication: https://www.nature.com/articles/s43246-024-00647-5