A team of researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory has achieved a significant advance in visualizing magnetic skyrmions – nanoscale magnetic structures that could transform the future of computing technology.
Summary: Berkeley Lab researchers have successfully created detailed three-dimensional X-ray images of magnetic skyrmions, tiny spinning circles of magnetism that could revolutionize data storage and quantum computing. The study reveals unexpected complexity in these nanoscale structures’ internal architecture.
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Understanding Skyrmions
Magnetic skyrmions function as tiny whirlpools of magnetism with unique properties. David Raftrey, lead author of the study published in Science Advances, explains that these structures have a distinct pattern: “At the center, the magnetic spin is pointing upward, while moving out from the center, the magnetism twists and pulls in a downward direction.”
These nanoscale magnetic formations possess remarkable stability and efficiency. As Peter Fischer, senior researcher at Berkeley Lab, notes: “However, relying on the charge of the electron, as it is done today, comes with inevitable energy losses. Using spins, the losses will be significantly lower.”
Breaking New Ground in 3D Imaging
Previous theoretical understanding treated skyrmions as two-dimensional objects. The research team discovered that examining these structures in three dimensions reveals unexpected complexity. “But that’s not the case,” Raftrey said, referring to the assumption that each layer of a skyrmion would be identical when viewed from top to bottom.
The breakthrough came through the use of X-ray laminography at Switzerland’s Swiss Light Source facility. This technique allowed researchers to “basically reconfigure and reconstruct [the skyrmion] from these many, many images and data,” according to Raftrey.
Fischer emphasizes that understanding skyrmions’ 3D spin texture “opens opportunities to explore and tailor 3D topological spintronic devices with enhanced functionalities that cannot be achieved in two dimensions.”
Glossary of Terms
- Skyrmion: A nanoscale magnetic structure with a spiral spin arrangement
- Spintronics: Electronics that use electron spin rather than charge
- Laminography: An X-ray imaging technique for 3D reconstruction
- Topology: The study of geometric properties that remain unchanged under deformation
- Magnetic spin: The intrinsic angular momentum of electrons
- Nanoscale: Measurements at the scale of billionths of a meter
Quick Quiz
- What makes skyrmions potentially valuable for computing?
- How were researchers able to create 3D images of skyrmions?
- Why is understanding the 3D structure of skyrmions important?
Answers:
- They use less energy than traditional electron-based systems and are stable
- Using X-ray laminography at the Swiss Light Source facility
- To develop practical applications in real-world electronic devices
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Further reading: DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adp8615
