Nanomagnetic skyrmions

Authors

Ralph Skomski, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Zhen Li, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Rui Zhang, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Roger D. Kirby, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Axel Enders, University of Nebraska–LincolnFollow
Daniel Schmidt, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Tino Hofmann, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Eva Schubert, University of Nebraska - LincolnFollow
David J. Sellmyer, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

2012

Citation

JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSICS 111, 07E116 (2012); doi:10.1063/1.3672079

Comments

Copyright 2012 American Institute of Physics.

Abstract

Magnetic skyrmions and other topologically protected nanostructures are investigated. Since skyrmions are mathematical rather than physical objects, they describe a wide variety of physical systems, from simple magnetic domain walls to complicated quantum phases with long-range many-body entanglement. Important distinctions concern the skyrmions’ relativistic character, their quantum-mechanical or classical nature, and the one- or many-body character of the wave functions. As specific examples we consider magnetic nanospirals, where the topology of a vortex-like spin state is protected by magnetostatic interactions, and edge currents in dilute magnetic semiconductors and metallic nanodots. Our analysis militates against giant orbital moments created by a mesocopically enhanced spin-orbit coupling.