THE skyrmionsskyrmions could represent an important advance, particularly for information storage and quantum computers, but these quasi-particles are particularly difficult to study. For the first time, a team of American and Swiss researchers have managed to obtain a 3D image of a magnetic skyrmion.
But what is it exactly? Magnetic skyrmions are kinds of swirlsswirls magnetic at the nanoscopic scale. More precisely, skyrmions are whirlwinds of spinsspins d’electronselectrons opposites, including movementmovement can be controlled by an electrical charge or a magnetic fieldmagnetic field. Until now, they were considered two-dimensional disks, but the image obtained by the researchers, published in the journal Science Advancesshows that the structure is three-dimensional.
Towards spintronics and miniaturized computers
The researchers were able to observe the magnetic skyrmions using x-raysx-rays on an 800 disk nanometersnanometers in diameter and 95 nanometers thick. To do this, they used a soft X-ray laminography technique to record a series of images as the object is rotated. They then used algorithms to combine these images and construct a 3D representation with voxels (the 3D equivalent of the pixel) of 20 nanometers on a side.
A better knowledge of skyrmions will notably allow advances in the spintronicsspintronicsthe branch of electronics that exploits the spin of electrons. Skyrmions have the advantage of being very stable and fast, and could be used as much smaller magnetic bits than hard drives. This would pave the way for much denser storage media than those currently used, and much more energy-efficient miniaturized computers.
