Atomic-scale Magnetic Lattice of Skyrmions (IMAGE)

Helmholtz Association

Atomic-scale Magnetic Lattice of Skyrmions

Caption

Physicists at Forschungszentrum Juelich and the universities of Kiel and Hamburg are the first to discover stable magnetic skyrmions on a surface as opposed to in bulk materials. The tiny cycloidal spirals, made up of just 15 atoms with their spins, form a regular lattice. The diagram shows simulations of magnetic measurements with the aid of spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscopy in black and white. The orange, red and green arrows show the upward or downward orientation of the spins. The cube-shaped "peephole" designates a single skyrmion.

Credit

University of Hamburg

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