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Magnetic skyrmions

Particles or waves

Nature Materials volume 15, pages 1231–1232 (2016)Cite this article

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A first-order phase transition between two crystalline phases of magnetic whirls sheds light on the role of topology in magnetic transitions.

In magnets lacking inversion symmetry, the magnetic structure can twist in magnetic whirls, so-called skyrmions1,2. Similar to a knot in a rope, such a skyrmion is topologically stable: it cannot be removed by smooth deformations of the magnetic structure. This robustness and the high mobility of skyrmions make them promising candidates for applications such as in memory devices. The topological protection also has important consequences for the dynamics of phase transitions and the formation of magnetic phases. The skyrmion phases can be interpreted using different models. Kosuke Karube and collaborators3 now report a magnetic phase transition where a triangular lattice of magnetic whirls transforms into a square lattice, shedding light on the nature of these magnetic phases.

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Figure 1: Schematic illustration of two-dimensional lattices of magnetic whirls, so-called skyrmions, formed in planes perpendicular to the magnetic field.

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  1. Achim Rosch is at the Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of Cologne, D-50937 Cologne, Germany,

    Achim Rosch

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  1. Achim Rosch
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Correspondence to Achim Rosch.

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Rosch, A. Particles or waves. Nature Mater 15, 1231–1232 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/nmat4774

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