Skyrmions could provide next-generation data storage

Scientists from the Birmingham, Bristol and Colorado Universities in Boulder have come together to develop the next generation of data storage and processing devices, using an emerging science called skyrmionics.

Skyrmionics attaches to exploit the properties of nanoscale structures in magnetic films called skyrmions. These turn on the surface of the magnet like tiny swirls and scientists believe that they could be used to store much larger amounts of data than is currently possible with the help of existing magnetic data storage techniques on which modern computers are based.

The shape of these skyrmion structures means that the data encoded therein could also be transferred with much less power than is currently achievable.

But organizing these new structures in ways that make them able to store and transfer data has proven to be a challenge.

In a new study, published in Physical Nature, the research team composed of theorists and experimenters based in the UK has demonstrated a way to combine multiple skyrmions into structures called 'skyrmion bags', which allows for much more storage. information in skyrmion systems.

"The challenge of improving our data storage is becoming more and more urgent," says Mark Dennis, professor of theoretical physics at the University of Birmingham and lead author of the study. "We will need new technology approaches to increase the amount of data we want to store in our computers, phones, and other devices, and skyrmion bags could help us." Rather than using unique skyrmion streams to encode binary bits , each skyrmion bag can hold an unlimited number of skyrmions, which greatly increases the storage potential of the data. "

The team modeled its technique in magnetic devices using computer simulations and has successfully tested it in liquid crystal experiments.

"It's particularly exciting to see this technology at work in liquid crystals because it opens up new opportunities for progress in areas such as display screens, sensors or even solar cells," adds Dr. David Foster, co-lead author in Bristol.

Skyrmions was originally proposed as a theoretical model of fundamental particles by Professor Tony Skyrme of the University of Birmingham in the 1960s. This research, funded by the Leverhulme Trust and the US Department of Energy, shows how purely theoretical ideas in physics can lead to new and innovative technologies.