Physicists observe motion of skyrmions
Tuesday, February 3, 2015 - 14:01
in Physics & Chemistry
Small magnetic whirls may revolutionize future data storage and information processing if they can be moved rapidly and reliably in small structures. Scientists have now been able to investigate the dynamics of these whirls experimentally. The skyrmions, as these tiny whirls are called after the British nuclear physicist Tony Skyrme, follow a complex trajectory and even continue to move after the external excitation is switched off. This effect will be especially important when one wants to move a skyrmion to a selected position as necessary in a future memory device.