Imaging and controlling chirality and topology in magnetic thin films

 

 

Abstract:  Magnetic systems exhibiting chirality have gained significant attention over the past decade. From enabling the efficient movement of magnetic domain walls to stabilizing the topological magnetic quasiparticles known as skyrmions, chirality and chiral interactions may play a central role in the next generation of magnetic memory and computing schemes. The possible responses of chiral magnetic systems to stimuli such as magnetic fields, electrical currents, light, and thermal gradients is at the forefront of thin-film magnetismresearch [1]. I will briefly introduce the underlying interactions that give rise to chiral magnetism, the emergence of topology and discuss some of the surprising systems where chirality and topology are emerging.  I will focus on the various techniques that can be combined to image and understand the three-dimensional magnetic structures that emerge.
[1]. Hellman et al., Reviews of Modern Physics 89, 025006 (2017).

 

Bio: Eric Fullerton is a Distinguished Professor at the University of California, San Diego in the Departments of Electrical and Computer Engineering and NanoEngineering and is a Chaired Professor and Director of the Center for Memory and Recording Research. He received his B.Sc. in Physics from Harvey Mudd College in 1984 and his Ph.D. in Physics from UC San Diego in 1991.  Before joining UC San Diego, he held research positions at Argonne National Laboratory, the IBM Almaden Research Center and Hitachi Global Storage Technologies.  His current research focuses on the synthesis and characterization of magnetic nanostructures, both as a probe of materials in reduced dimensions and for the development of novel information technologies.  He has co-authored >350 journal articles, been issued 51 US patents, is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and the IEEE and is a member of the National Academy of Engineering.