Scientists use light to control magnetic patterns in ultrathin material
Researchers have demonstrated that circularly polarized light can precisely manipulate skyrmions—tiny magnetic vortices—in a two-dimensional material called chromium triiodide. The breakthrough could enable faster, more efficient data storage and computing technologies, as skyrmions are considered promising candidates for next-generation magnetic memory devices.
Originaltitel: All-optical control of skyrmion configuration in CrI<sub>3 </sub>monolayer
<p>The potential for manipulating characteristics of skyrmions in a CrI<sub>3 </sub>monolayer using circularly polarised light is explored. The effective skyrmion-light interaction is mediated by bright excitons whose magnetization is selectively influenced by the polarization of photons. The light-induced skyrmion dynamics is illustrated by the dependencies of the skyrmion size and the skyrmion lifetime on the intensity and polarization of the incident light pulse. Two-dimensional magnets hosting excitons thus represent a promising platform for the control of topological magnetic structures by light.</p>