Driving an electron spin vortex 'skyrmion' with a microcurrent
Wednesday, August 29, 2012 - 16:30
in Physics & Chemistry
Scientists have succeeded in forming a skyrmion crystal, in which electron spin is aligned in a vortex shape, in a microdevice using the helimagnet FeGe, and driving the skyrmion crystal with an ultra-low current density less than 1/100,000 that of the current necessary to drive magnetic domain walls in ferromagnets.