Curvilinear nanomagnetism

While conventionally magnetic films and structures are fabricated on flat surfaces, the topology of curved surfaces has only recently started to be explored and leads to new fundamental physics as well as applied device ideas [1]. In particular, novel effects occur when the magnetization is modulated by curvature providing a new degree of freedom that leads to new magnetization configurations and is predicted to have major implications on the spin dynamics due to topological constraints [2].
Advances in this novel field solely rely on the understanding of the fundamentals behind the modifications of magnetic responses of 3D-curved magnetic thin films [3]. The lack of an inversion symmetry and the emergence of a curvature induced effective anisotropy and Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction are characteristic of curved surfaces, leading to curvature-driven magnetochiral effects and topologically induced magnetization patterning [4]. In addition to these rich physics, the application potential of 3D-shaped objects is currently being explored as mechanically reshapeable magnetic field sensorics [5], spin-wave filters and high-speed racetrack memory devices. The fundamentals as well as application relevant aspects of curvilinear nanomagnets will be covered in this presentation.

[1] R. Streubel, D. Makarov et al., Magnetism in curved geometries. J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. (Topical Review) 49, 363001 (2016).
[2] D. Sander, D. Makarov et al., The 2017 Magnetism Roadmap. J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. (Topical Review) 50, 363001 (2017).
[3] R. Streubel, D. Makarov et al., Retrieving spin textures on curved magnetic thin films with full-field soft X-ray microscopies. Nat. Commun. 6, 7612 (2015).
[4] V. P. Kravchuk, D. Makarov et al., Multiplet of Skyrmion states on a curvilinear defect: Reconfigurable Skyrmion lattices. Phys. Rev. Lett. 120, 067201 (2018).
[5] D. Makarov et al., Shapeable Magnetoelectronics. Appl. Phys. Rev. (Focused Review) 3, 011101 (2016).